DBS - History in the Making
by MattHunX
Summary: The continuation of my OC Beranise's story, during and after the Tournament of Power, into a future that is yet unwritten. Not even the Supreme Kai of Time knows what can and what will happen. There can be no worries for changing something in a time-line that it is yet to exist.
1. Tie-In

**Author's note**: The continuation of my OC Beranise's story, during and after the Tournament of Power, into a future that is yet unwritten. Not even the Supreme Kai of Time knows what can and what will happen. There can be no worries for changing something in a time-line that it is yet to exist.

In the last two fics I've deviated from the pacing I used in my first DBZ fic, in which I introduced Beranise, where I attempted to have chapters that would've amounted to roughly 20 minute episodes on-screen. In the two sequels I have strayed from that format, but I am returning to it, now.

With that said…

I have condensed the last six episodes of the Universe Survival Saga (126-131) into a tie-in special that recounts the events of the final minutes of the Tournament of Power and the team's return to Earth, with Beranise factored into it all.

Oh and when you read the narrator's closing lines that are in italics, at the end of every chapter, imagine the old narrator. Not the literal old guy, who's been doing the narration for DBS, but the one who was there throughout DBZ. I mean, technically there were two different guys, but…

**Universe Survival Saga, Finale Tie-In Special: **

**Saiyans Have No Limits **

Even as her eyes were still shut, the heaviness she felt all around her was familiar, as she floated in it. Beranise knew exactly where she was as she stirred awake, after Vados knocked her unconscious, then sealed her in the pocket dimension of her staff. One more second and she might have obliterated the two Zenos. She could not be sure if they had any means of protecting themselves. Maybe they would have just imagined a barrier and it would have simply appeared around them. Or his guards, even the Grand Priest, himself, might have stepped in. She knew her power was still no match for the Angels, never mind their father. And as she thought of her own strength she could sense that of the others, coming through the exit, where Vados's staff floated. She was already used to moving around in the dense dimension and she controlled her energy to move closer and have a feel around for how the tournament was going.

One by one she felt them slowly disappear, as the fight went on. Ten fighters, their Supreme Kai and God of Destruction, suddenly gone, as they were erased, along with their universe. Then another ten. And another. Everyone was pushed to their limit and beyond. Particularly the Saiyans from the 7th, as well as the 6th Universe. Beranise balled her fists and gritted her teeth, as she felt them vanish, too. Cabba. Along with another Saiyan race. And another universe. Every innocent life, therein, gone. But, the others pressed on. Pushing themselves even further. She did not know what was happening to Goku, but she felt his energy completely disappear, then come back, not once, but twice, during all that, as he fought, not one, but two impressive powers. She could even tell there were two fighters, out there, engaging the other universes, whose energy she could not actually feel, but could infer their presence from the reactions of others. She figured it had to be 18 and her brother. Even the old coot, Roshi, was taking names, until he burned himself out. Their competition was steadily disappearing, but so were the number of fighters from the 7th Universe, who were down to three men, against what remained from the 11th Universe. Three that she could sense, anyway, as 18 and her brother could have been out there, for all she knew.

Both Goku and Vegeta's power was at a level far above what they had before. She could also sense Frieza, who had been taken down a few pegs and was probably not even in his Golden form, as even that was a league down from how strong the Saiyans were, now. He seemed to be laying low and Beranise took a moment to amuse herself with his situation. Unbeknownst to her, not only him, but 18's brother, as well, were both caught in the explosion from an energy blast, released by whoever Goku and Vegeta were fighting. Whoever was out there, standing against them, his power she could feel, all along and it was several leagues above even the two Saiyans'. It made her equal parts worried, angry and excited. The Saiyan in her thirsted for a challenge, but she also knew that if the 7th Universe lost, it would mean the end for everyone she knew and cared about. But, against such power, neither she nor the other Saiyans could do anything, yet. She could tell Vegeta was, now, focusing on Toppo, after Jiren's blasts incapacitated half their remaining team, as the latter aimed to keep the two relentless Saiyans off of himself. Toppo had considerable strength, all throughout the fight, that is until something changed and his energy could not even be gauged, anymore, after a while. It was as if they were suddenly fighting a Destroyer. How that was even possible, Beranise had no idea. She only knew Vegeta was facing him alone, while Goku continued to fight Jiren.

The candidate God of Destruction for the 11th Universe was flexing his new power, already convinced of its superiority to Vegeta's. The latter listened to him prattle on about how he cast everything aside, even his love and dedication to justice, in order to obtain the power of Destruction, for his own survival and by extension, for his universe's. An act Vegeta found detestable and cowardly, for he could not simply throw away his pride, as a warrior and as a Saiyan. Besides his love for his family, his promise to Cabba and his loyalty to his comrades, it was exactly what kept him going and gave him strength. How could he give all of it up for a power he did not even need. A power he could actually overcome. If giving up everything that drove him, everything that made him who he was, is what was needed to become a Destroyer, then it was not worth it. Especially when he was already fighting on par with one, who foolishly sacrificed his own essence to gain a power that only felt unopposable on the surface. Jiren's strength, beyond that of his universe's Destroyer, already proved the Gods could be challenged and there power could be overcome. But, Toppo kept unleashing his, assured of victory.

"Hrr...damn it!" Beranise cussed and went for the staff, but without Vados willing so, it was not going to take her out of the dimension she was in. She took hold of it, with both hands, trying to force herself out, without any idea how it would even work, as she exerted as much energy as she could on it.

As Vegeta kept pressuring Toppo, Vados and the angels, including the Grand Priest, noticed the pulsating flash of light coming from the portal, high above the arena. It slowly became erratic, before a blinding explosion stopped the fight below. Goku and Vegeta halted, while 17 and Frieza were still missing, after they were hit by Jiren's blast. He and Toppo stopped, as well, to look, along with the spectating Gods and beaten fighters. When they could see, again, they spotted a seemingly unconscious Beranise falling from the air, towards the battered battleground, facing upwards.

"Beranise...!" Gohan exclaimed. Goku took a step towards her, thinking he could make it in time to catch her, but to their surprise, she suddenly stopped, with a burst of air, above the ground, blowing dirt and debris away, as two halves of the broken staff dropped on the ground, on either side of her.

"My staff." Vados frowned, somewhat annoyed and looked on with everyone, from the compacted platform that was pulled together by the Grand Priest, on which all remaining spectators were uncomfortably close to one another. Beranise kept floating in place, then she slowly rotated, standing up in the air, but her head still hung and her eyes were closed.

"What's happening?" One Zeno leaned in.

"Yes, what?" The other asked, as well.

"Why is she sleeping like that?" One wondered.

"Yes, why now?" So did the other and the Grand Priest regarded Beranise's state with some suspicion. It was then many also took notice of some changes in her. Her body did not have the slight bulk of her Super Saiyan 4 form and her hair was its normal length, except it was spiked, standing on its ends, with less bangs than her Super Saiyan state and no loose strands. But, that was not the most noticeable difference about her.

"Uh, g-guys..." Krillin stuttered. "I-I'm not feeling anything from her." he stated.

"You're right." Gohan whispered, as he tried to make sense of what happened to her, but they were soon given their answer, as Beranise turned towards them, as if her body was moving on its own, while she still looked unconscious. Vados slightly narrowed her eyes, as it almost felt like Beranise turned to face _her_, specifically, but she knew the Saiyan was not at a level where she could sense her presence, let alone tell exactly where she was. And yet...Beranise slowly raised her head, as she opened a pair of piercing silver-eyes, glaring directly into Vados'. Genuine alarm briefly showed on the latter's face, before the spot on the stands she was sitting at was turned into a gaping hole, as Beranise launched herself, in literally less than a blink of eye, from the middle of the arena, right through the stands, taking Vados with her. Whis barely had enough time to move and Beerus was nearly bulldozed by the attack he could not even follow and both of them floated above the others and the wrecked stands, with the fighters from Universe 7 and 11 all staring in shock, including Velmod and even Marcarita looked surprised. The other Angels appeared somewhat displeased, but not worried, as the other Gods frowned in annoyance at the display, after being caught off guard by it, like Beerus was.

Down in the arena, everyone was having the same reaction, even Jiren frowned, as the movements of the female Saiyan reminded him very much of the brief manifestations of power Goku could effectively use against him. Vegeta briefly gritted his teeth, slightly annoyed, but then had a small smirk, as he was impressed that Beranise was evolving along with them. She appeared, a second later and floated above the cloud of dust, her hands balled into fists at her side. Her eyes as sharp as her new senses.

"We both know that didn't do squat! So, come out!" she yelled and Vados flew up from behind the destroyed stand. The latter looked at her dirtied robe that was also torn, in a few place, where Beranise actually landed grazing hits on her, more than once, in the brief moment she assaulted her. Beranise scoffed at her own lack of success in landing a proper hit. "Hmph. I knew it was a longshot, but I guess getting trapped, in there, worked out, at least, a little." she stated, to Vados' genuine surprise, as well as everyone else's.

"You mean, you planned this!?" Gohan asked and Vados appeared visibly upset that Beranise essentially played her, apparently having counted on that she would seal her away with her staff, before she could reach the Zenos and before either them or her father could personally stop her and potentially erase her from existence.

"It wasn't much of a plan." Beranise admitted, still looking at Vados. "I had to get stronger. I didn't care if it took me the rest of my life; I would beat you Angels, eventually. Then I'd've wished every universe back." The Grand Priest found that interesting, as the Zenos could barely hear what was being said. "Bet your precious Zenos wouldn't have liked _that_." she was still mostly addressing Vados. "Wonder how they'd like seeing you get your angelic asses kicked!" Beranise said that loud enough for the Zenos to hear and they immediately got excited.

"Wow! Can you really do that!?" One asked.

"Yes, can you do it!?" The other echoed.

"What!?" Beranise turned her head, then completely faced them. Though, unsurprising, given their recently developed excitement for fights, Vados was somewhat uncomfortable that the Grand Zenos actually found the idea of her and her kind getting a beating entertaining.

"I wanna see it!"

"I wanna see it, too!" The Zenos said.

"You can't be serious." Beranise muttered, gritting her teeth, frustrated with them. Their relatively new-found enjoyment of fights was one thing, but erasing all losing sides, whole universes, afterwards, was plain wrong. Not just callous. But, evil. And she had enough of their child-like attitude to it.

"It would appear His Lordships have taken an interest in the exciting prospects of your..._ambitions_." The Grand Priest noted, summing up her crudely worded plans. "The question is, will you be able to deliver on your..._promises_." he emphasized her open threat, again. "Either way, you have been granted a chance to live on, should your universe win the tournament, of course." he explained and Beranise understood he meant the Zenos have probably forgotten all about her attempt at their life and they were more interested in seeing how strong she could become.

"How magnanimous of them." The sarcasm dripped from Beranise.

"Perhaps you should be thankful." Vados told her, keeping her voice low, as she floated behind her and only Beranise and those near them could hear. Beranise turned her head to glare daggers into her, as her face twitched from contained rage.

"You got some nerve telling me to be thankful to those monsters." she said, turning to face Vados. "All the Gods got on Goku, 'cause they thought he was putting their universes in danger. But, not one of them dared to say a word, when it turned out these brats planned to kill them all, anyway. Why don't you tell _them_ to be thankful? Oh, that's right! They're all dead! But, who am I kidding! They probably all went out, still bowing down to those little bastards, because they're afraid of them." she lowered her voice. "So, if they wanna see power, then I'll gladly show it to them. And it'll be last thing they'll see." She leaned closer to Vados. "But, before that, you Angels are gonna _pay_." she told her, as she floated past her to join the others on the stands. Vados barely allowed herself to show the hint of a scoff as she glared after her. Whis was giving their exchange the same look, not appreciating the irreverent threats. The Grand Priest considered the heated moment to be over and turned towards the arena.

"Fighters, if you would continue!" he addressed them, as they had stopped to observe the scene. "There is little time remaining!" he noted, as they had only minutes left and they refocused. Vegeta on Toppo, while Goku on Jiren.

"Now, where were we..." Vegeta said, purposefully irking Toppo with his own confidence.

"You had your respite. But it will not give you the strength to beat this power! And neither will your pride!" Toppo declared, coated in his Power of Destruction that he was certain would ensure his victory and attacked, while Jiren kept swatting Goku, as he was but a minor nuisance to him, despite his efforts. Though, he kept him occupied, as everyone watched. Beranise moved to stand next to Gohan.

"I'm sorry." she said and Gohan turned to look at her, in surprise, seeing she was ashamed. "I should've been down there, fighting with all of you." Beranise admitted, as Piccolo, too, listened, looking at her from the corner of his eyes, while paying attention to the fight. "I thought even if I couldn't take those brats out, then, at least, I'd have a chance to get strong enough to get the Super Dragon Balls, after I made sure the Angels couldn't stop me. But, now I know, for sure, they can be beaten." she threw a side-glance at Vados and her tattered clothing, who also briefly looked at her, with a small glare, but quickly averted her eyes. Then she continued to observe how Vegeta was getting the upper hand on Toppo. "Just like their so called Gods and their power." Beranise added and Beerus' ears twitched. He also threw her a wary glance, as they all witnessed that Toppo's godly power could be overcome, as Vegeta told him he would give him an attack even his Power of Destruction could not destroy, which Toppo chose to meet with what he thought was overwhelming force, as he pressed two large orbs together, made with each hand, to form a large sphere of pure destructive energy that he launched at Vegeta's swirling dome.

Gohan looked at Beranise's face, seeing she was still in her new state, similar to what he saw with his father, but also different in some ways. He could not feel her energy, but there was also no heat, as there was with Goku. He wanted to ask her about it, but the spectacle they were watching kept him from being distracted, as Vegeta overpowered and blew not only Toppo's attack away, but Toppo himself, blasting him from the arena. The latter fell into the endless void and was immediately teleported to the rest of the warriors from his universe, on their side of the stands, at the other end of the platform. Dyspo went to his side to help him sit up as Beranise smirked, giving them a side-glance.

"Looks like that special power all Destroyers got is overrated." Beranise muttered and Vados glanced, from the corner of her eyes, not only at her comment, but because at that moment, Beranise' eyes returned to their original color. Her hair dropped down as she reverted to her normal state. The Angels and Gods noticed, first, then everyone else, as they could, again, sense Beranise' energy, though everyone from the 11th Universe was more preoccupied with their defeated comrade.

"Hey, aren't you feeling any different?" Gohan asked. He could not help himself and speculated what could have caused her transformation, in the first place. And since his father absorbed the power of his own Spirit Bomb to sustain himself, the first time it happened, he could only guess that Beranise probably experienced something like an explosion. Possibly from the staff. She looked at him, then, at herself, her hands, feeling her own face and hair, but before she could give an answer, they sensed someone. Vegeta was still alive. He did not sacrifice himself, with his technique, like he did against Majin Buu. His new level of power allowed him to survive the otherwise suicidal move, they all figured, as they saw he was still standing, in his normal state. But he did use up most of his energy, as Beerus pointed it out. Much to their relief, especially 18's, 17 emerged from the rubble, somewhat injured, but well enough.

"I never thought it would come down to Jiren alone." Khai commented, as he and Velmod could not rest easy. Dyspo helped Toppo stand.

"We're counting on you Jiren!" Dyspo exclaimed and the man Toppo thought of as an ally and as a loyal friend responded with derision.

"That was pathetic. I expected more from you." Jiren told them, much to their surprise.

"Hey, how can you say that?" Goku asked, as he stood in front of Jiren, still in his Super Saiyan Blue state, facing him down and got promptly kicked to the side by him, then Jiren stood on a large rock, above them.

"You gained your power without casting anything aside." he addressed Vegeta. "You have my congratulations for defeating Toppo. Well done!" he commended him. Vegeta gritted his teeth. 17 frowned. And Goku winced in pain, as he looked up at him, from the small crater he made, in the side of a rock. Jiren smirked and balled a fist in front of himself. "Now, here's _my_ power!" he exclaimed and started screaming. His red aura flared up around him, along with his massive energy, the force of which easily reached the spectators, like the winds from a storm.

Vegeta mocked Jiren for only deciding to take the fight seriously once all of his comrades were eliminated, but seeing how much energy Vegeta exerted earlier, Jiren did not think he would be a threat. And even though Vegeta could briefly assume his strongest form, again, his, Goku's and 17's combined efforts were still not having any meaningful effective, other than annoy Jiren, who merely regarded them to be nothing but impudent gnats. Jiren fired a sweeping energy beam, at Vegeta, while he remained obscured by a cloud of dust, distracting him. Vegeta could not have reacted in time to dodge a kick from him, but 17 pushed Vegeta out of the way, at the last moment and paid for it, as he took the hit. Jiren rammed him into a cliff with his foot, then blasted him, seemingly taking him out of the fight, after which all lost sight of 17. Rebounding from a broken-off, floating piece of the destroyed arena, Vegeta cursed 17 for helping him, believing he was in no need of assistance and was quickly back on the offensive, along with Goku. He put everything into a punch that Jiren effortlessly grabbed, much to Vegeta's shock. Jiren, then charged his fist and delivered a heavy punch to his gut that not only sent him crashing into a cliff, but made him instantly revert to his normal state. Goku attacked and nearly suffered the same fate, but used his Instant Transmission to move above Jiren, then, while still using Kaioken x20, unleashed a Kamehameha. Jiren charged his fist, seemingly making more effort and cancelled out Goku's energy wave with one of his own, blowing him out of the air, in the process.

He started walking towards a downed Goku to finish him, when 17 appeared behind him, already charging a blast that he fired directly into Jiren's back, practically pushing it into him. He did a lot more harm to himself with it, though, but he did managed to wound Jiren and showed that he was not nearly as invincible as he seemed. He mocked him, too, saying his torn uniform suited him more. Goku, Vegeta and 17 joined forces, again and planned to coordinate for one large, simultaneous attack that they hoped would be enough to beat Jiren, who quickly grew weary of their scheming. Goku and Vegeta engaged him, hand-to-hand, while 17 lined up and fired an energy wave that actually hit, but Jiren quickly powered through it, straight towards him. 17 repeated the attack, keeping Jiren at bay and was soon joined by Goku and Vegeta, who both fired their strongest waves, hitting Jiren from three sides, but the latter still proved to be far too strong, as he withstood their combined attacks and created an explosive wave that took out all three of them, at once, leaving them lying on some floating rocks.

"What the hell is that guy?" Beranise muttered as everyone else also commented on Jiren's unbelievable power. "Damn it. Even if I was down there, with them, it wouldn't make a difference." she cursed herself, in a way and Gohan looked at her. "But…" Beranise paused. "They're not done." Beranise knew, just as well as Gohan did, that the fight was not over and they both looked on, when Frieza suddenly showed himself and successfully ambushed Jiren, driving him into the ground with a diving kick, then continued to attack him up close. Jiren kicked him away, into some floating debris and Frieza appeared to be mad with rage. After the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Toppo, he felt the deepest level of insult he could possibly take and aimed to kill Jiren. He assumed his Golden form, but his attack could not even reach Jiren, who stopped it with just the force of his glare, then punched him into the air, where Frieza bounced off from a piece of floating debris, ending up back on the floor of the ring, where he reverted to his previous form and lay unresponsive.

"Pff…" Beranise scoffed at Frieza's effort, but only because it was Frieza and a large part of her obviously enjoyed seeing him get beaten. She was also confident that her own strength surpassed his.

Jiren still had his fist raised, from the motion of his attack, when he was hit in the back, by a weaker blast, from 17, who got his attention. Jiren asked him what he hoped to do against him, alone and 17's only answer was that he simply had not given up and told him Universe 7 would survive.

"And what happens then, huh?" Velmod suddenly asked 17. "Let's say, you win and Universe 7 goes on. What are you going to wish for?"

"I'm gonna get the Super Dragon balls and I'll take my family on a cruise." 17 replied, somewhat nonchalantly.

"Are you joking?" Velmod made a face, thinking 17 could not possibly be planning on using the power of the Super Dragon Ball for something relatively mundane as that.

"Not really." 17 said. "What about you…Jiren?" 17 looked at him. "Cleary all you care about is the title of the strongest. What would _you_ wish for?"

"Even I have a wish I want granted." Jiren replied and there was something in his tone, behind the coldness. Goku and Vegeta were listening, as they were lying in the dirt.

"Jiren's wish?" Khai sincerely wondered, having no idea what it could be. Velmod knew and he sighed, closing his eyes with sadness, as he understood Jiren's motivations, beyond power.

"I knew it..." Velmod quietly noted and lowered his head. "Jiren…you still…" He closed his eyes.

"Lord Velmod?" Khai prompted him to go on.

"Let me tell you, all, the reason why Jiren cares so much about strength." Velmod said and went on to explain how Jiren grew up. How he lost everyone. How the person who took him under his wing made him stronger, gave him allies, but it was still not enough and the same evil that haunted him throughout his youth took everyone from him, again. Even his master. His own strength was not enough. He tried to go on, but those who survived would not stand with him. They were weak and could do nothing but kneel before the strong. Jiren was left alone in his grief. Abandoned by those he trusted. "That's when he realized…that trust is worthless." Velmod noted and Toppo, in particular, understood how Jiren saw the world and his comrades, then. "He also learned that strength is justice. Strength is absolute." Velmod continued. "Winning would bring him companions. Winning would get him everything. Emotions mean nothing here." And even as Jiren was surrounded with allies, his own power, alone, would ensure he would not have to lose anyone and _to_ anyone, again. Velmod confessed how he was drawn to his thirst for strength. And to his solitude.

"That's it, huh? I get it, now." 17 understood. "And here I thought you were just a killing machine. But, you're a pretty human guy, after all." he told him and Jiren did not really appreciate his past being laid bare for them.

"That's enough out of you, Velmod." he muttered to the side and blasted 17, pushing him back.

"No trust, huh?" 17 asked, giving Jiren a pause. "So, all this time, you were just using those guys to get what you wanted." 17 told him, seeing how he threw his comrades in, like fodder, when he knew, all along, he had to rely on nothing but his own strength. He did not care for them, beyond their existence and their presence, in his life. Not for their friendship. And least of all, their trust.

"That's a pretty roundabout way of saying he's just a big jerk." Beranise muttered.

"Shut up! Acting like you know a thing about him!" Velmod yelled at them, taking offense for Jiren, but it did not faze either her or Jiren.

"You're obsessed with the past." 17 told Jiren and immediately had to dodge backwards from an attack. "It looks like I hit a nerve, there!" 17 could tell and Jiren grabbed his head, smashed him into a cliff, then punched him through another, from which 17 came back with a punch of his own, locking fists with him. The arm of his shirt was ripping off from the strain of his muscles flexing, as he pressed against Jiren, trying to push him back. "Do you really think…that you can return things to the way they were?" he asked, struggling. "That you can bury the past?"

"Preposterous." Jiren muttered, having heard enough and grabbed his forearm with his other hand, then threw him to the ground. He jumped to a higher part of the shattered pieces of the arena and began charging a massive energy blast, telling them to think about their own weakness, as Goku, Vegeta and 17 lay incapacitated, unable to defend themselves. But, 17 stood and put a barrier up around himself, along with several more protective walls, taking on Jiren's attack. Goku and 18 were both telling him not to do it. The latter begged him to run from it, but 17 told Goku and Vegeta that they better thank him and he erected a barrier around both of them, thinking that he actually liked how human it was to sacrifice himself, as he shielded them from the blast. The effects of the explosion subsided and the dust cleared, after which everyone could see, to their relief, that Goku and Vegeta were safe. However, 17 was gone.

"You were saved." Jiren told Goku and Vegeta. "Be grateful that he gave his life to protect your pathetic existence." he added as 17's barrier around them broke apart, along with the floating rocks they were on and they fell back to the arena, but they were standing, once more. However, Goku immediately collapsed. 18 cried, as they all believed they had just watched her brother sacrifice himself. Not only did he protect Goku and Vegeta with his barrier, but he canceled out Jiren's blast, by self-destructing, as Elder Kai described. The Grand Priest noted that since it was his own energy that caused 17's demise, Jiren was not at fault. Therefore, no rule was broken. The latter went back down, where Vegeta stood before him.

"You're still standing?" Jiren asked, annoyed.

"I'm going to be more than enough to knock you off, Jiren!" Vegeta declared, even as he was barely standing. He tried powering up, but had none left in him to muster and still began his futile assault, even though, everyone, including Jiren, could tell he did not have any power behind his attacks. Jiren hit back, slamming him into a piece of floating rock, again, but Vegeta got back up, thinking about his family and what he told Cabba about his Saiyan pride. He promised Universe 7 would win and Beerus was shocked he was still holding out somehow. Vegeta told Jiren not to underestimate a Saiyan and kept attacking, with his last ounces of strength and as Jiren hit back, he felt his body shattering more from every blow. He struggled harder, every time he got to his feet.

"This fight is already over." Jiren stated. "What is making you go on, at this point? Why keep fighting?" Jiren asked, seeing his resolve. Fruitless as it was.

"Who knows…?" Vegeta coyly replied. "But, even if I told you, an emotionless bastard like you, would never understand…what it means to fight to protect something!" Vegeta replied, thinking about who he was fighting for. His family. His promise to Cabba, to wish him and his universe back, when they win. And for his pride. In that moment, he found all the vestiges of strength he had left in him and channeled it, into one Final Flash that predictably had no effect, as Jiren merely stood, letting the wind blow the smoke away, while he remained unscathed. He caught Vegeta's fist, as he came at him.

"I'll acknowledge your great pride, at least." Jiren said, though it was hard to tell if it was mockery or sincerity. "It's over." With a punch, he knocked Vegeta out of bounds, who was left to lament his defeat as he fell in the void.

_"I...I couldn't keep my promise. I'm such a damn fool. I'm sorry Bulma…Cabba. Kakarot…I'll leave the rest to you."_ And with that last thought, he sent off what little energy he had left, transferring it to Goku, who was revitalized by it. He stood and turned Super Saiyan Blue, ready to face down Jiren, who saw their trust in each other as pointless. Vegeta was teleported to the stands, where he was given a Senzu-bean to heal, as everyone congratulated him.

"Vegeta, you really did well." Beerus sincerely told him, smiling, with his arms folded and more than satisfied with his performance, despite his elimination.

"Indeed. We're glad to see you're safe." Whis nodded. Vegeta predictably responded with a '_hmph_'.

"Tch. Who are you kidding?" Beranise spoke, glaring at Whis from the corner of her eyes and Whis raised a brow, then looked at her, with the rest, sensing her anger, still. "You can stop pretending you Angels really care about any of us." she said, with hatred in her voice and all the Attendants looked at her, without a sign they took any offense at her words, at all. The others did not reply, as they saw she had become completely bitter. Vados glanced at her, from behind her, then turned back to the fight, along with everyone, as Goku struggled on. He quickly lost the energy Vegeta gave him and reverted to his normal state, from which point on, the battle could not have become more one-sided, as he could do nothing against Jiren's overwhelming and seemingly inexhaustible power.

"This fight is decided." Liquir, the tri-tailed, fox-like Destroyer commented, feeling, as the rest of the Gods did, that Goku was done for and Universe 11's victory was but moments away. Jiren had beaten him into a proverbial corner, as Goku stood on a floating slab, teetering, both literally and figuratively on the edge of defeat.

"Oh, no…one more hit...and he'll be…" Tien fearfully trailed off, as all from the 7th universe could only watch what they thought would be their friend's and consequently their own last moments. Goku closed his eyes as Jiren's fists was coming towards him and the entire tournament, all his friends' sacrifices flashed before him, filling him with a sense of responsibility like nothing before. He could not let all of their efforts amount to nothing. In that moment, as everyone held their breath and before Jiren could deliver the final blow, Goku was no longer the one making his body move.

"What!?" Jiren exclaimed in shock as he hit empty air, then turned to see Goku standing behind him. The latter turned to face him and was surrounded by a white aura, his silver eyes gleaming in it, as he stared him down. Jiren gritted his teeth, growling from annoyance that Goku could enter that state, again, so close to the end. He attacked, but none of his punches were making contact. Goku suddenly side-stepped him and with little motion behind it, punched Jiren in the stomach, who spat out all the air and saliva he had, as his eyes bulged from the intense physical pain he probably never thought he would ever feel again. Velmod voiced his annoyance at the number of times Goku had turned things around by going past his own limits. Vegeta only smiled to himself.

"He's Ultra, again!"

"Ultra is exciting!" The Zenos raised their fists at the sudden reemergence of it and Gohan looked at Beranise to see she was watching his father's actions with some confusion, while also considering they all had trouble following their movements.

"Is _that_ what I did?" Beranise suddenly asked, feeling his eyes on her and Gohan was a little surprised.

"You couldn't tell?" he asked. "You even said whatever happened to you inside that dimension had, at least, _some_ effect. Didn't you feel any different?" Beranise continued to watch as she replied.

"Well, I wasn't exactly thinking about anything besides hitting that bitch." she muttered and Gohan's eyes briefly widened at the word. "I only saw what I did, after." Beranise was not entirely satisfied. "But, it's a start." she added as she could see how well Goku was suddenly responding to Jiren's movements and attacks, fighting considerably more effectively. If entering that state bridged such a considerable gap in power, then mastering it meant they could do far more.

Whis noted how much of a toll the Ultra Instinct state takes on the body and said that since there was no one left to heal Goku, should he fail to maintain it to the very end, the glow from it would disappear from his eyes, for the last time. Supreme Kai noted how Goku's movement and attacks were sharper, but Old Kai pointed out that he was still unable to properly counter Jiren. Whis explained that Goku's thoughts were holding him back, same as they did against Caulilfa and Kale's fusion, Kefla. The various thoughts and decisions that occur when attacking were actually dulling his attacks, in the state he was in and were preventing them from having their proper impact. Goku attempted the same kind of Kamehameha he used against Kefla, jumping from one floating rock to another, as he closed in, but Jiren saw through him and stopped his attack, blasting it apart. Goku fell towards the ground as he was losing his energy and concentration.

"In this situation, no matter how good his defense is, he can't win if his offense is no good." Velmod stated, with a reassured smile, feeling victory was near for their universe. Marcarita and Khai expressed thoughts to that very effect, as well. "An incomplete Ultra Instinct is only gonna delay the inevitable." he said.

"Hmph. You're talking complete garbage!" Vegeta exclaimed, arms folded. "You say it's incomplete? That means there's a level he can still reach. You're ignoring that, thinking you've already won. Since when did the gods become so careless?" he mockingly asked.

"What is your point?" Khai asked.

"You're saying…he's just going to master Ultra Instinct on the fly and surpass Jiren?" Velmod thought it ridiculous, not taking his prediction seriously and laughed. "Impossible! Talk about _garbage_!"

"You saw it yourself, all through this tournament, how everyone went beyond their limit. And that goes double for us Saiyans!" Vegeta recalled how himself, Goku, Gohan, Cabba, Caulifla and Kale all got stronger, during the fight. He looked at Beranise. "She even got a few close hits in on one of the Angels themselves." he nodded towards her and she briefly glanced at him, then continued to watch, as Goku was falling, waiting for whatever it was that triggered him. "So, what makes you think it won't happen, again?" Vegeta asked, turning back to them. While Velmod, Khai and their universe frowned at his confidence in Goku's ability, the Angel Attendants, as well as the other Gods, glanced from Vegeta to Beranise, wary of them. Velmod yelled at Jiren to stop waiting and end the fight. He charged his fist and jumped, going towards Goku.

"Kakarot!" Vegeta shouted. "I've put my pride and my promise, _everything_ I have, all of it in your hands! Don't you dare lose! That's unacceptable! Go beyond the power of the gods! And defeat him, Kakarot!" he told him and Goku suddenly came to life with a roar, pulsating with power the winds of which all could feel. Whis could feel the change happening in him, as Goku had his eyes closed and was emptying his mind, as he dodged Jiren's attacks. He explained what was going on inside of him. How, in the heat of the fight, his fears, along with any other thought ceased to exist. All he could feel was his opponent, himself and the fight. Everyone began talking about the heat they felt coming from Goku and as Gohan considered Whis' words he looked at Beranise, again.

"Sounds like the same happened to you." Gohan told her and she only narrowed her eyes further, as she kept watching the fight. An indication she obviously listened what Whis said about Goku's focus.

The other Gods also watched, intently, not wanting to miss a second from the amazing fight, as the Grand Priest noted. Velmod became agitated and told Jiren to hurry and end the fight. Jiren managed to outpace Goku and slammed him down, breaking apart the ground, beneath him, but the latter remained standing, on a floating rock, again, as Jiren unleashed a series of endless blasts, pushing him down. The others started worrying, asking if Goku could even escape the situation.

"All of you...be silent and watch." Beerus told them and they saw how serious he was.

Velmod assumed, by how calmly Beerus spoke to the others, that he was resigned to his fate. To defeat. He was, again, convinced of their victory, believing, along with his Attendant and Khai, the fight was theirs. They figured Goku would either run out of energy or the ground would eventually crumble under him, causing him to fall.

Jiren still had the advantage and to an untrained eye, it appeared as though he was unleashing a continuous barrage of blasts, pressuring Goku and preventing him from even standing properly, being bent from the waist, from the weight of it. It looked as if he was blocking it all, with his own energy acting like a force-field, as his arms hung at his side, seemingly lax from fatigue. In actuality, however, both of them were attacking only with the force from their hundreds of punches, the shockwaves from them clashing as they met one another, hit for hit, neither one missing even once. Both of them seemed like they were not even moving, even to the Gods, but the Angels could see, while everyone else could tell, their attacks were simply too fast for most to follow. Velmod cheered, thinking Goku could do nothing, when a few stray flashes of energy, between him and Jiren, got everyone concerned.

"What?" Toppo exclaimed and Velmod was suddenly alarmed. "That Goku...!" Toppo fearfully began to see. "Is he actually attacking back now and not merely defending himself, anymore?" Goku's movements have, indeed, turned from defensive to offensive. His attacks started to get through and he was slowly straightening, bringing his arms back up, as he clenched his fists, able to push back and move more freely. He struck out, harder than ever and a blast of force pierced through Jiren's attacks, hitting him in the stomach and he let out a painful groan, as it pushed him upwards.

"Impossible!" Velmod yelled, in distress.

Goku roared, again and his power exploded, creating a swirling mass of pure, shining, hot energy around him that resembled a spiral galaxy, as if a whole new universe itself sprang into existence, born from within him. The Zenos were at the edge of theirs seats and Grand Priest, too, was rather impressed by the new development. Goku took a moment and inhaled from the cloud of energy, as Jiren stood on ground, high above him.

"That was definitely a good hit, Goku. Your passion made you build all this up to defeat me." he stated, finding it challenging and smiled. "Hm. I will do the same, then." he added, powered up and charged an even denser blast than all others before. He fired it, but Goku disappeared from his sight and so did his blast. Everyone watched in awe, as Jiren suddenly felt a presence and slowly turned to look from the corner of his eyes to see Goku moved behind him, in an instant, once again and was standing with his back to him. This time, however, he could barely make out his form from the glaring white light he was coated in, as he was holding the red ball of energy he took from him. Goku merely flicked his wrist and the intense power Jiren gathered to meet him with shattered, disintegrating in his hands. He turned with a snarl and lunged at Goku with a fist, as the latter was walking towards him. Goku flipped backwards, avoiding his attack and while still coming back down, without even visibly moving, he hit Jiren, twice, before he could react. Jiren staggered back, then leaned forward with his eyes flashing, but with another flick of his hand, Goku dispersed the series of blasts aimed at him, detonating it all around them, instead. The Gods all stood, in recognition of the ability even they had difficulty mastering. Jiren angrily charged at Goku, but the latter moved behind him, once more, without him even seeing it. He had an arm extended as a series of blows hit Jiren from every direction and a stronger one, at the end, made him fall off the elevated platform, crashing into a cliff. The light from the new energy around Goku dimmed enough to reveal the color of his hair now matched the silver of his eyes.

"Whis..." Beerus started. "Goku finally reached it, hasn't he?" he asked and Whis nodded, with a smile.

"Yes." came the conformation.

"Honestly, what an unbelievable guy." Beerus' eyes twitched, as he grinned, immensely impressed, but also annoyed by Goku's mastery of Ultra Instinct and a new phase of the fight began.

"The real fight starts now, Jiren." Goku stated and launched himself at him, with incredible speed none of his friends had ever seen before. Their situation was reversed, as Jiren could not get a single hit in, while Goku not only dodged every one of his attempts, he even cancelled out Jiren's powerful blast with a single hand, much like Jiren did with his Kamehameha, earlier. Jiren fired an endless hail of energy blasts, all of which Goku dodged, then hit back. His fists kept making contact with Jiren's body, as the latter blocked, but his face showed he felt all of his punches. It quickly made him angrier, as the advantage was no longer his and he was suddenly outclassed. Goku caught his fist with a hand, threw him away, then, as Jiren attempted to retaliate, got behind him and kicked him in the back. He punched him in the stomach as he turned to face him and rammed him through a row of cliffs and into another, where Jiren laid inside a crater his own impact made. Goku waited and soon the cliff exploded. Jiren stood in the empty space, heavily breathing, from the sudden fatigue. Khai could not believe Jiren was being overpowered so much and worried Goku's power may be far beyond his. Jiren heard him.

"That can't be! I won't lose!" he exclaimed. "I can't lose!" he added, his anger rising. "Strength is justice! Strength is absolute!" he hissed. "All is meaningless without victory. To be defeated is to lose everything. Just like then…" he trailed off as his troubled past flashed before him. "I won't go through that ever again!" His anger rapidly rose. "I won't!" he balled his fist and his power exploded, ripping the uniform off of his torso, as a red flame engulfed the area.

Jiren walked forth from the haze his unrestrained energy created, his ultimate power unleashed. One could have easily assumed by the white aura he had within his red flame, that he possessed the same power Goku had mastered, but the latter's Ultra Instinct proved to be still superior to the strength he had. Even as Jiren managed to actually hit back and even as he overpowered Goku's Kamehameha and blasted Goku into the ground, the latter jumped straight out of the blast and right at him. They locked hands as they pushed against each other.

"You still have this much power left? Persistent bastard!" Jiren said. They took off and after a brief struggle, Jiren got the upper hand. With a blast, he threw Goku off balance and into the air, got above and hit him with a hammer-blow, sending him down, followed by an energy wave in the back that Goku could not avoid. Krillin cheered him on, telling him he would win and told him to get up. Goku slowly did so and Jiren could not fathom it as he gaped at him, eyes wide in shock.

"Impossible! You shouldn't have any energy left!" he screamed, unable to understand how Goku still had the will to go on.

"He's just like Majin Buu was, when he fought the boys' fusion." Piccolo noted. "Jiren never fought someone as strong as him, at this level. He doesn't know how to handle it." he commented and Velmod glared, gritting his teeth at him. Goku told Jiren it was not over and the latter asked how he could go on after being beaten down so many times. Goku explained it was because his friends all trusted him and he swore on their faith he could never back down. Jiren felt he was lecturing him about trust.

"Silence!" he yelled at him. "Such a thing is meaningless before my power!" he said and engaged him.

"I'm gonna show you that you're wrong!" Goku told him and Khai noted his speed had increased. Velmod did not understand how that could be happening. Piccolo explained Goku was not fighting only for himself. He was bearing their hopes, too. Master Roshi told them how every one of his friends helped raise one another up. They greatly care about one another and their existence also gives Goku strength. And Goku himself does not believe, even for a moment, that he came so far by himself. Tien described how even while fighting, Goku always had a way of drawing in those around him, throughout his life, remembering that many of them, Piccolo, Vegeta, 17 and 18 used to be enemies and that even Frieza was fighting on their side. Toppo, for one, listened, as that empowering trust was the very thing missing from Jiren's life. Goku punched Jiren through a cliff and into another, where Jiren, again laid inside a crater his own impact made, baring his teeth at Goku. Enraged, like a wounded beast.

"This is our power, Jiren!" Goku told him, once more, but Jiren nearly spat at it, not caring for friendship or for trust. For him to accept all of those would be to deny everything that he has ever been. He would not believe in such power.

"Such a thing…" Jiren snarled, as his fist was shaking and in his blind rage, charged a blast, exploding the rock he was embedded in. "Is easily erased!" He screamed and threw the blast towards the stands, where its red glare washed over the faces of all of Goku's friends, along with terror. Vegeta and Beranise both leapt in front of everyone, in the air, gritting their teeth as they raised their hands, willing to try and stop it. Its light flashed over them, but it was replaced by Goku's, who suddenly jumped up from below and slapped it to the side, where it hit some floating debris and safely exploded.

"K-kakarot!" Vegeta exclaimed. Shocked by both his speed and his save. It was Goku, now, who became enraged as Jiren attempted to take his friends' life and Jiren even repeated how easy it is to erase all that which supposedly gave Goku his strength. Even if the Grand Priest or any of the Angels had interfered, it was something Goku could not forgive. He screamed in anger and his blue and white aura flared up. Again, he buried his fist into Jiren's face and rammed him through several rocks. Everyone barely released the breath they were holding and Vegeta slightly raised his head as he suddenly felt something. He looked at Beranise, still next to him, to see her glaring eyes were silver, again, but they immediately reverted to their normal color. She did not seem to have noticed what happened, though, as she kept watching the fight. Tried as he did, with everything he had, Jiren could not hold Goku back. He practically ran along and vaulted over the tails of his energy blasts, making a path for himself. Jiren's eyes flashed red and he tried keeping him away with his barrage, before he recoiled in shock, as Goku powered through it. He punched him towards the ground and Jiren kept speeding towards it, unable to defend himself. Goku released a mighty Kamehameha that swallowed Jiren, as he screamed in pain.

The smoke cleared, showing Jiren was lying in the dirt, in utter defeat. Goku walked up to him, telling him what he should have learned from it all. Beerus kept yelling at him to stop wasting time and finish him by knocking him off. Goku raised a hand and began charging a weaker blast that glowed yellow, which was probably just enough to get Jiren out of bounds. But, then...unbelievable pain shot through him. Purple and black electricity lashed around, coming from his own body, as he collapsed, writhing and screaming in agony, while he also lost his form and turned back to normal. Whis stated it was the negative backlash from the limit-breaking power of the Gods.

"I did not expect the toll would be _this_ great." he stated, seemingly worried. It was Velmod, who started urging Jiren, now, to quickly end the fight, while Goku was unable to move. Jiren appeared conflicted and was hesitant as he pointed his palm at Goku, charging a blast.

"It isn't my wish that our fight ends this way, Goku." Jiren sincerely told Goku, who could barely lift his gaze. "But, even though your life will end, know that you will forever live on in my memory. Farewell." The blast he fired completely destroyed Goku's side of the platform they were on, sending him flying off and towards the void, between all the floating debris. It did not look like he would land on any of them, out of sheer luck, but a surprise energy blast, that came out of nowhere, broke his fall and made him crash onto a rock, saving him. Jiren quickly found the one responsible and it turned out to be none other than a battered Frieza, who was in his Golden Form, again, but severely weakened. Some rubble moved and 17 emerged from under it, to the relief of the others, as he won the gamble he took with his own life, having survived his own potentially sacrificial move, the same way Vegeta did. Velmod told Jiren he was running out of time and to finish them. 17's white aura flared as he called upon his power.

"With Goku in the shape he's in, it looks like it's going to be just the two of us." he told Frieza.

"I'm well aware." Frieza's golden aura flared as he powered up and they both faced down Jiren, who had lost a considerable amount of his strength. In just the short time Goku managed to stay in the completed state of Ultra Instinct, he beat and exhausted Jiren so much that 17 and Frieza actually had a chance at holding out against him. Jiren still questioned their trusts and their obvious attempts to keep Goku in the fight.

After explaining to Jiren that keeping Goku alive was merely insurance for him, Frieza mocked him for how weak he has suddenly become and swore he would taste defeat by his hands. Jiren blew all surrounding rocks away, swatted 17 out of the way and took on Frieza's punch, then the two engaged in melee, falling down several levels, in the process, while 17 tried to get into a better position. Frieza kept mocking Jiren's shattered strength, calling him fragile, telling him he was scared that he would become the weakling he once was. Jiren stepped on his tail, pinning him in place and delivered a flurry of punches in his face, but Frieza telekinetically lifted a bolder with each hand and crushed Jiren between them, telling him not to get carried away. 17 tackled him, charging energy and encased him in one of his barriers, sealing him inside with it, before he set off the blast, blowing himself away in the process, too and he tumbled along, before he stopped himself and remained on his knees to observe the damage he caused. As the smoke cleared, Jiren stood, hunched over and threw up, his spat steaming as it splattered on the ground. He panted and fell on his knees, severely wounded to the horror of Velmod and all the Pride Troopers.

"Jiren…Jiren did well…" Velmod muttered, shaking, as he hung his head, feeling and accepting defeat, but Toppo was not going to let it end like that for Jiren, who was staring at the ground, as if his body was suddenly void of any strength and the will to go on. Frieza had his index-finger pointed at Jiren's hanging head, ready to finish him and told him that from that angle he could not even see how pathetic his face looked, while the red energy he was charging glowed brighter.

"What are you doing, Jiren!?" Toppo yelled. "You would kneel before an enemy!? Is this how pathetically you will end!? Get up, now, Jiren!" he told him, despite how Jiren treated them and Frieza found his speech obnoxious. "Why did you build your strength, while trusting no one, all this time? Fight for your pride, until the end!" He was doing for him, what Goku's friends did for Goku, having learned from them. "You may not believe in your own strength, but I do! Until the end. Jiren…you are strong." he reminded him. "You are stronger than anyone!" Jiren clenched his fist, while Frieza felt like vomiting from it all. Jiren told him to be silent and slowly stood, his energy flaring up, once more.

"Run, Frieza!" 17 told him as Jiren swiped with his hands, creating a giant, wave of energy that they tried to hold back. "Use more power!" 17 yelled at Frieza.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Frieza shot back and as they struggled against the blast 17 repeated himself and so did Frieza, both with more vehemence and pain. The strength of the wave stripped Frieza of his Golden Form, as he could not withstand it. 17 was losing as well and his barrier was breaking apart. Goku started to get up as Jiren pushed even harder. 17 and Frieza suddenly felt someone was lending his strength to them and they turned to see Goku had used his Instant Transmission to get behind them, apologizing that he left everything to them. He was extending a hand, helping them keep Jiren's attack at bay, then pressed against it with both hands, joining them. Frieza snidely asked Goku if he wanted to stay back, instead, but Goku was serious and told him they have all gone well beyond their own limits, already. Their universe's very existence could end if they did not all work together.

"Goku…" he heard Jiren say his name and he looked to see he was smiling to himself. "Again, you stand before me!" Jiren exclaimed and erupted with a surge of energy, pushing against their barrier, again. 17 asked if Goku was alright to fight, but Goku told him he and Frieza would take on Jiren and that he should hang back, to back them up. He noted how amazing Jiren's strength was and that he attained it all by himself. He thought that even all of them together might not be able to beat him.

"You haven't forgotten your promise to revive me, have you?" Frieza suddenly asked, wanting some incentive to properly lend all his strength and Goku was slightly taken aback he would bring it up at such a critical moment. "I'm asking if you still remember!" Frieza yelled.

"As long as you don't break your promise, I'll keep mine." Goku sincerely told him. "You know that better than anyone, don't you?" he asked him, considering their history and it annoyed Frieza.

"That naïve part of you makes me sick, Goku." he told him. "But, at the moment, I'm glad for it." he admitted.

"Are you two done making up?" 17 asked, with a slight smile.

"We'll make up over my dead body!" Frieza retorted and all three of them pushed back, together. Jiren merely stood, having come to expect nothing less from them as they shattered his wave, the splinters off which turned to dust around him as he continued to smile, enjoying the thrill of the most challenging fight he ever had. He let out a battle cry, along with Goku and Frieza, before they charged at one another, in a final showdown.

They slammed into one another, recoiling, then launched into a melee, with Goku and Frieza attacking in tandem to everyone's surprise, most of all to Vegeta's. Jiren punched Goku in the stomach, who grabbed his hand, before he could pull it back and held him in place for Frieza, who elbowed Jiren in the face, pushing him back. He quickly recovered and attacked, but the two separated, dodging to either side, as 17 released a blast from behind them, launching Jiren upwards towards the pillar of the clock that was counting down the time they barely had left. 17 fired three blue homing blast, that swirled like a triple-helix as they shot between Goku and Frieza, who ran towards Jiren. They leapt off of the floating rocks to close in on him as the energy blasts hit him, making him crash into the pillar, where Goku and Vegeta caught up to him. Goku punched him in the stomach, while Frieza gave him a kick to the neck, pressing into him. Jiren viciously bared his teeth and released what was his signature flurry of punches, after his eyes flashed red, breaking part of the pillar and getting them off of himself to attack 17, who narrowly avoided his impact. Goku gave Frieza a boost, at the latter's suggestion, as he was sliding down the pillar, throwing him towards Jiren. Frieza latched onto him and dived down, trying to take Jiren with him, but Jiren barrel-rolled, veering off to hit a floating platform that stopped their fall. Jiren thrashed around trying to get him off of his arm, but Frieza held on, as Goku pushed off the wall and was shooting towards them, going Super Saiyan. In the chorus of the others cheering them on to finish it, sans a salty Beranise, they pushed Jiren off the platform and screamed in unison as they powered up, while Jiren lamented the power of their trust. Their energies flared to form a pair of white, shining wings, soaring to victory. In pillar of light, they all went out, leaving only 17 to stare after them.

Following the dead silence, as everyone waited with abated breaths, all three fighters appeared amidst the members of their respective universes, battered but not broken. Goku was wincing as every part of his body was in pain and he looked to see Frieza was in a similar shape, but showed it a lot less.

"Frieza…" he looked at him.

"Stop! Don't you dare start thanking me! I'll be satisfied so long as you keep your promise." he replied.

"Yeah. I know." Goku nodded, then looked up as the Grand Priest spoke.

"With the dropping out of Jiren…" he started. "Universe 11…shall be erased." he noted and a white light appeared around those from the 11th universe, in their last moments.

"Jiren…" Toppo spoke, as he was holding Jiren, who barely had the strength to lift his gaze at them. "Thank you." Toppo told him, with every one of the Pride Troopers standing behind him, along with Velmod and Khai.

"Why?" Jiren whispered. "I treated you all with nothing but contempt."

"Jiren!" They heard someone else and all turned to see Goku came over to them, despite being barely able to stand, himself. "I know we just had our fight and all…but it was over too soon, if ya ask me." Jiren shakily sat as he stared at him, being supported by Toppo's large hand. "I know you'll hate me for saying it, but I think we both got stronger, together, by fighting. Let's do it again!" Goku told him with a smile and Jiren was briefly surprised, but closed his eyes, then opened them to give him one last, sincere, respectful smile, of his own, before he and his universe disappeared.

The Grand Priest approached 17 and asked him if he decided on his wish, before they all stood on ceremony as the planet-sized Super Dragon Balls were brought out and the words were recited to summon the dragon. The Zenos told 17 the dragon could grant any wish. 17 deliberated, turning back towards the others and looked at Goku, in particular, then at Beranise, having overheard what she planned to do, after she came out of the pocket dimension, which was the same thing 17 himself already decided on, as well. He turned to the dragon and to the pleasant surprise of many of the attendants and gods, he wished for all erased universes to be restored as they were. He told the Grand Priest to hurry as he had to get back to his job, protecting wildlife. The Grand Priest smiled at that and turned to the dragon, translating the wish to its language. The inhabitants and fighters of the restored universes looked around in surprise as they realized what happened, while some, like Jiren and Toppo swore they would win the next time they fought. The others joined 17, down in the arena, to thank him. He said it was all because of their influence and 18 noted how similar to Goku he was becoming.

"If you're quite finished…" Frieza spoke, arms folded. "Would you kindly send me back to Hell, now and promptly so?" he said.

"But, you've still got time left, don't you?" Goku asked in surprise.

"Listening to all of you enjoy your happy endings like this…I might as well be in Hell." Frieza muttered, turning his back to them.

"Then, why not be happy, yourself, Frieza?" Whis asked, leaning in, then pointed his staff at him. "Here!" he said, restoring his injured body to perfect condition, along with his life, as Frieza noted the halo, above his head, had disappeared. And everyone was shocked he was returned to life so easily.

"He's been revived!?" Vegeta asked.

"It's a gift from Lord Beerus." Whis stated, glancing at Beerus, who was still sitting on the stands. "He said you did good work, at the end."

"Hmph." Frieza gave Whis a sly smile. "Won't you regret this? I don't intend to change my ways, you know."

"Then, I'll just defeat you, again." Goku told him.

"Well, we shall see." Frieza smirked, but then it faded, as he looked up at Beranise, still in the stands, who was killing him with just her glare. Frieza returned it and the others did not miss their exchange.

"I didn't expect that would be 17's wish." Supreme Kai said to Elder Kai as the two sat next to Beerus.

"Grand Zeno foresaw this outcome." They hopped to their feet as the Grand Priest was suddenly in front of them.

"Grand Priest, Sir!" Supreme Kai acknowledged him.

"They knew that whoever would be left standing at the end of the fight would be virtuous enough to consider the other universes." The Grand Priest elaborated.

"You're saying that if any other wish had been made…" Beerus understood his words.

"If a selfish wish had been made…they would have erased everything." The Grand Priest noted, to the horror of the three.

"Give a break…" Beranise muttered, from the side and the Grand Priest looked at her from the corner of his eyes, sensing her tone, as she took a step, turning towards him. "We all know your Zenos erased other universes, before, for a lot less." she started. "And it had nothing to do with their strength. _Whoever was left would be virtuous enough to think of the other universes?"_ she repeated, mockingly. "Pff. Like those two have thoughts like that in their weird little heads. That Jiren should've been erased the second he fired that blast here, but your _Lord_ Zenos didn't care much for their own rules, when they were having fun, did they? So I don't believe, for a second, they could come up with an idea like that, anywhere. But, you…!" she narrowed her eyes, suspiciously, at the Grand Priest, who subtly raised a brow. "You're another thing. _You're_ doing all the thinking _for_ them. Like, when you stopped the Exhibition Match, then talked them out of going on with it. You got a silver tongue, _pops._" All three, next to her, stiffened at that, though Beranise was not smirking, as she usually would have been. "But, don't worry…your Grand Zenos're gonna get what I promised them. And so will you Angels." Beranise told him and the Grand Priest remained silent, while Supreme Kai, Elder Kai and Beerus could only stare in fear, but he merely closed his eyes and floated back to the Zenos' side, as they flew down to shake hands with Goku and to congratulate him for an exciting fight. Whis was holding his own staff, as his sister was missing hers and he had already fixed her attire for her.

"That was a rather…impressive…tournament for survival, wasn't it?" Vados said, with some annoyance in her voice that Whis picked up on and he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, as they stood next to each other.

"Perhaps Grant Zeno has certain expectations. That Goku and his friends can change something. That mortals themselves can change." Whis said and looked at her. "Are you alright, sister?" he asked and Vados noticed his small, somewhat amused smile. She simply looked ahead, briefly closing her eyes.

"I'm fine." she stated and Whis sensed some slight indignation in her voice that she rarely showed.

"Hey, Goku…!" The Zenos spoke. "What's next?" they asked.

"Hmm, lemme think…" Goku started, but Beerus flew at him, from the stands and put him in a lock from behind, clamping a hand over his mouth, before he could give the Zenos ideas.

"M-My humblest apologies, Sires! P-perhaps another time!" Beerus told them, as Supreme Kai and Elder Kai went to kneel before them.

"If you'll excuse us, we'll be on our way!" Supreme Kai said.

"People of Universe 7…" the Grand Priest addressed them, with all of the Angel Attendants standing behind him. "You fought well and made a magnificent wish." he told the winning team. Beerus, Supreme Kai and Elder Kai bowed at the praise, in everyone's stead.

"Goku, will you come back?" the Zenos asked.

"Sure thing! It's a promise!" Goku told them and bumped fists with them, one with two of theirs.

"I shall return all of you to your universe, then." The Grand Priest stated and as Goku smiled at the Zenos, Vados looked at Beranise and her eyes slightly narrowed. Beranise's glare deepened and just before they were teleported away by her father, Vados saw her eyes turn silver, again. A small frown came and was gone from her face, as she still kept her collected façade.

…

All of the fighters, Supreme Kais, old and young, Beranise, Beerus and Whis were standing on the balcony of Capsule Corp HQ, with the sun shining on them, all taking a moment to let a sense of accomplishment, pride and relief wash over them, as most of them smiled. Except for Beranise and Frieza, as neither of them were actually enjoying themselves, for different reasons. Frieza felt nauseated just standing with them and Beranise felt she had abandoned and failed the others and therefore had nothing to feel good about.

"I so hate to interrupt such a sickeningly joyful moment, but I'd like to be returned to my forces, now." Frieza turned to Whis, arms folded, then let out a small chuckle. "Whatever remains of them." he muttered, as it was he himself, who killed most of them, when he released his energy to power up against Goku, in their rematch.

"Of course." Whis nodded and turned to Beerus. "I shall take him back, then return here, My Lord."

"Watch yourself, Frieza!" Beerus gave him a cautioning side-glare.

"Oh, I will be a model-citizen of my universe, Lord Beerus." Frieza told him, bowing with a hand to his chest, the other behind his back.

"_Your_ universe?" Beerus turned his head to him and Frieza's sly smile deepened, as he lifted his sinister gaze, chuckling, which he directed at Goku.

"And I'll be seeing you around…Goku." he said.

"I figured." Goku gave him the kind of smile he always had before a great fight and Frieza slightly turned his head to look from the corner of his eyes at Beranise, who was standing behind him, arms folded, as if she had moved to block his path, in case he wanted to take off by himself.

"_You_, as well." Frieza's told her and his smile was already gone.

"Enjoy living." Beranise muttered. "You might as well get some training in, Frieza. You're not as tough as I thought you'd be." she told him and Frieza narrowed his eyes some, feeling she was merely trash-talking him. "Even less so, now that all of us Sayians got even stronger." she added, mocking him for falling behind. "You couldn't even beat a wannabe Destroyer. I'd say you got some catching up to do." she smirked and Frieza's glare deepened as he frowned at her, but, then, he composed himself and mirrored her expression.

"Careful what you wish for." he told her.

"Off we go, then." Whis said, tapped the ground with the end of his staff and they shot off, in a beam of light, towards parts of a galaxy where Frieza knew his forces were in even more disarray since his second death than after his first. As they disappeared from Beranise's line of sight, she was left looking directly at Beerus.

"Are you going to settle the score, Saiyan?" Beerus halfway turned to her, with a slight smirk, his body-language showing he was actually somewhat interested in how her power has grown and how Frieza's own would fair against it. And he was not alone in that.

"It's _my_ turn to put that bastard where he belongs." Vegeta spoke, arms folded, staking his claim. "Making a deal to get himself revived, again, was a mistake. And he'll regret it." he added.

"He's not the only one." Beranise said and they raised a brow. "That Jiren was gonna kill us all, back there. Then you're dad just smiles and tells him he wants to fight him, again, like he's suddenly some sparring buddy?" she asked, incredulously. "I know some of you didn't exactly start out as friends, but as much as I hate to admit it, Frieza's right about you." Beranise narrowed her eyes at Goku, to the latter's surprise. "You're way too naïve." Goku then had a subtle glare. "And North Kai told me it bit you in the ass, the last time you fought Frieza, too." she referred to Frieza destroying the planet and that Whis had to rewind time, allowing Goku to correct his mistake.

"I already told him his leniency was a weakness." Beerus said, looking at Goku.

"And dad knows!" Gohan stepped in. "But, that's just the kind of person, he is. Some of us wouldn't even be friends, or be even alive, if he wasn't. You all heard it." he referred to what was said about his father and his ability to just draw people in and to even make friends of enemies. "And besides…Jiren was just desperate. He let his anger get the better of him. You can't say you never had a moment like that, after you tried to kill the two Grand Zenos." he reminded her and Beranise averted her eyes, with a frown, not feeling sorry for _that_, in particular, only for being a hypocrite, because of it.

"Or when you smashed my house." Bulma's voice said and they all turned, in surprise, to see her standing in the door of the balcony, holding Bulla in her hands, who was wrapped in a blanket. Chi-Chi, Videl and Pan were with her, but Trunks and Goten were still defending all the animals from the poachers on the island 17 worked on. Bulma ran across towards her husband. "Vegeta!" she screamed as she nearly tackled him, embarrassing him in front of the others and he had a small blush.

"H-Hey! Careful with her!" he told Bulma, as Bulla was swinging around with them.

"I'm so glad you're back!" Chi-Chi hugged Goku, but then she smacked him in the back if the head. "And you're going to stay that way, from now on!" she yelled at him. "At least, for a while, anyway…" she sighed as she added, putting her hands on her hips, knowing full well Goku was going to go off training, in no time.

"Gohan!" Videl was going to him, as Pan already floated over to hug him in the face. She embraced him, relieved they were all back together and that their whole universe was still there. Pan turned from rubbing her cheeks to her father's and blinked twice, noticing Beranise, who was looking at her feet.

"Bewa?" she asked and Beranise barely lifted her gaze to look up, when Pan was already grabbing onto her neck, hugging her. Beranise's eyes wavered as she looked at her face, while her own was full of guilt, as she had done nothing to protect her. Gohan could see it and understood what was going on inside of her, just by looking at her, as Beranise hesitantly held his daughter.

"You guys must be famished!" Bulma exclaimed and Goku grinned.

"Of course they are." Chi-Chi muttered, folding her arms, looking at him.

"I wouldn't mind a good spread, myself." Beerus said.

The kitchen staff started to set the tables up on the balcony, rushing around everyone, as Goku started transporting his friends to their homes, with his Instant Transmission, so they could clean up and return. Master Roshi, Tien and Piccolo were the first to go, followed by Krillin, 18 and 17, all of who Goku took to the latter's island, first, where Krillin and 18's daughter, Marron had been staying with Trunks and Goten, during their little adventure. Before it got to Gohan, the latter noticed Beranise handed Pan back to Videl, exchanged a few words as she caressed Pan's cheeks and was quietly walking away, without a word to anyone else.

"Ready, Gohan?" Goku asked.

"Hold on, dad." Gohan told him and walked after Beranise, who was nearly off the balcony.

"Hey, aren't you staying?" Gohan asked her. She stopped and turned.

"What for? I got nothing to party over." Beranise told him, guiltily.

"Hey, if you're still feeling bad about-…" Gohan started.

"'Course I am!" Beranise slightly raised her voice, but luckily none noticed, except Beerus, perhaps. "But, it's not because of what I did. It's because of what I didn't, because of it."

"What?" Gohan blinked.

"Do I really need to spell it out, for you?" Beranise stepped closer, lowering her voice back down. "I'm not the least bit sorry for trying to kill those brats." Gohan slightly narrowed his eyes and Beerus gave them a side-glance. "I'm only sorry, because I should've been fighting, instead. And because I didn't…I didn't protect _anyone_." Her eyes wavered as she looked behind Gohan, at Videl and Pan. They were standing with Bulma, who was letting a curious Pan look at Bulla more closely, from her mother's arms. Gohan heard Beranise turn and she was walking away, even faster.

"Where're you going, then?" Gohan asked, knowing she needed time to forgive herself and get things in order, on the inside.

"Don't know, yet." Beranise said, not even turning her head as she took to the air and Gohan watched her leave.

"Hey, everything okay? Where's _she_ off to?" Goku asked as he came back.

"Wouldn't tell." Gohan shrugged.

"I bet she's goin' training!" Goku made a fist. "She missed out on all the action, so she's probably goin' to work it all off."

"That's part of it, I guess." Gohan could only assume, as Beranise was flying away from the city.

"Hmph…you Saiyans…" Beerus muttered, holding some kebab on a stick, as he sat at a table. He was about to take a bite, when a familiar pillar of light came down from above, as Whis returned. "Well, that was fast." he said and took the bite he had intended.

"Oh. They've already started serving the food, I see." Whis commented, sitting down at Beerus' table. "You're certainly not wasting any time, My Lord." he told him with a small smile.

"So, is Frieza back with his army, then?" Vegeta walked up to them, arms folded.

"Indeed. He's not wasting any time, either, it seems. Rebuilding the Frieza Force will not be easy, this time around." Whis noted.

"It's what he gets for always wiping out his own men at a whim." Beerus muttered, half his mouth full.

"Manners, My Lord." Whis said. "Also, a tad hypocritical of you." he added, in jest and Beerus paused to give him a small glare, before continuing and Whis glanced around. "Our female Saiyan left already?"

"Yeah, you just missed her." Goku stated.

"I am curious how she even found the Null Realm. Although, she might not have been so forthcoming with an answer, given her change in disposition."

"Nah, she'll calm down!" Goku waved it off.

"I don't think so…." Gohan looked at the ground, as somewhere past the city limits, Beranise landed in a forest and took a capsule out of her hidden pocket. "She really has it in for the Zenos and the Angels."

"Holding onto to such feelings will only impede her progress." Whis stated.

"I'm not so sure…" Gohan started, as Beranise threw the capsule on the ground and the transportation Cube appeared from the cloud. "Dad learned to control himself at that new level by focusing on nothing but himself, Jiren and their fight, like you said. But, that's practically one thing, really. And that's what _she's_ doing." he explained as Beranise stood inside the Cube and started taking off with it. "She'll focus on herself, to get stronger and to control that power. Then she's going to fight you, uh…well...you're sister, anyway" he told Whis. "And she won't have anything else on her mind, this time." Gohan could tell, with some foreboding, that the Beranise they came to know, so far, was gone. And she will not let anything distract her from keeping her promise and making good on her threat to the Angels. She glared ahead, into the vastness of space.

"Hmm…" Whis considered his words, as Goku and Gohan talked and had to silently agree that Beranise's hatred for the Angels could fuel her further evolution. After all, Saiyans have shown they could just as easily find strength in trust and pride, as they could in the pain of loss and anger. Hatred was a good a catalyst as any to push them.

"It's not like she's gonna turn evil." Goku put his hands behind his head, as he turned around to leave the table they were at.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far." Gohan agreed they did not have to worry about something like that, as he walked away with him, their voices fading.

"So, are you ready, now?" Goku asked, wanting to take Gohan home, then return with him.

"Yeah, sure." Gohan said, as Vegeta also left Beerus and Whis to themselves.

"Saiyans turned out to be a strong bread, after all." Beerus commented, without looking up from his food, but his tone was serious, as he remembered how he used to think of them.

"They certainly continue to surprise." Whis stated.

Goku went home with Chi-Chi, to clean himself up, as well, before making the rounds with his Instant Transmission, once more, to return everyone to Capsule Corp HQ.

Not a day later, they also officially celebrated Bulla's birth, with Yamcha, Puar, Jakko, Hercule, Bulma's sister, Beerus and Whis, all invited. Trunks and Goten quickly set up a banner with Bulla's name, along with some balloons, welcoming her into the world. While everyone enjoyed the festivities, 18, Krillin, Marron, and Bulma were talking to 17, over a video-link, as he was taking his family on a cruise, with a ship provided by Capsule Corp. Their grand feast lasted for a while, before Pan got out of control and trashed Vegeta, much to Goku's amusement, after which Vegeta told him they would settle it, away from the others. It predictably turned into a fight between them and they took to the air as everyone looked on, with a knowing smile, while Bulma and Chi-Chi turned away, with a sigh, not even looking as the garden behind them started exploding from their husbands' attacks.

…

In the darkest depths of space, Frieza stood on his new hover pod, floating above his new and improved spaceship as he addressed the growing army of soldiers that have already massed around to serve him. "My apologies…for keeping you waiting. But, now, the Emperor of the Universe has returned!" he declared, continuing his efforts to conquer the universe, as he had promised Whis and the rest.

…

In the 6th Universe, Cabba was in the middle of observing a squad of tailless Saiyans on Sadala, during their training as they sparred with one another. He stood, with his old mentor, Renso, both taking in the new generation of proud, just, strong warriors that were in the making, when they suddenly felt a power Cabba was familiar with, approaching them.

"Who is that?" Renso asked, as Cabba turned in the direction it was coming from and soon saw the Cube appear and land near their training ground. Beranise stepped off of it, as Cabba walked over.

"Beranise? What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised she would leave her universe so soon, after the tournament and even more surprised she was out of wherever Vados had put her, as he recalled.

"I got work to do." she said, looking over his head, at the soldiers of the Sadala Defense Force and Cabba followed her eyes, glancing over, then back at her, feeling something was different about her.

…

On Earth, Goku and Vegeta, both in Super Saiyan Blue form, were reenacting their very first battle, on the cliffs of the very same wasteland their rivalry began. They locked hands and were pushing against each other.

"Hey, Kakarot, what happened to that Ultra Instinct of yours?" Vegeta grunted.

"I-…Can't do it!" Goku replied, struggling.

"What!?" Vegeta was surprised.

"I guess I was pushed to the edge, in the tournament and I did it by accident." Goku told him.

"Ohh? Then I'll just reach an even greater level of power!" Vegeta growled.

"Hold on, Vegeta!" Goku said, pushing him back.

"Shut up!" Vegeta shoved him back, in return. "You're the last person I'll ever let surpass me!" he said and kicked, but Goku flipped back, landing a short distance away from him.

"Vegeta…!" Goku started. "We can both get even stronger now!" he declared, assuming his signature stance with a smirk.

"Of course we can!" Vegeta thought it obvious. "There is no limit to the power of a Saiyan!" he declared as he also struck his own stance, ready to ascend to levels never before even dreamed of by mortals, let alone their ancestors and every warrior in the universe.

_With the Tournament of Power done and won, a new chapter in the lives of Goku and his friends was just beginning. Their fight against Jiren showed them new heights of power the Saiyans could still reach that surpassed even the Gods. With the promise of fighting the other universes, again and with their old enemy resurrected, they had even more reasons than ever before to get even stronger. But, how will they all keep ascending? What will it take for every one of them to break their limits? And what is Beranise planning to do on Planet Sadala? How will she keep her promise to the Omni-Kings? Time will only tell as it is being written, as we speak. _


	2. Episode 01

**Episode 01 **

**Interesting Times **

"The Saiyans..." The Supreme Kai of Time started, addressing a group of rookie Time Patrollers, all in full uniforms, as Trunks stood next to her, in the Time Vault, showing them a projection similar to what the staffs of the Angels could produce, from the scrolls they selected. "In one universe, they were once walking, talking, flying, foul-mouthed _siege engines_ that conquered planets." The images shown were that of their Giant Ape forms, as well as their normal ones, trashing all they encountered with both words and actions. "They subjugated whole galaxies, for an even greater evil..." A chuckling Frieza appeared. "Expanding a galactic empire built on the extinction of entire civilizations." she described as a macabre montage of dead worlds was displayed to the horror of the new faces. Trunks stepped in front, with the same grave tone.

"Until the same emperor they served grew wary of their power and they met the same fate as the worlds they destroyed for him." he grimly interjected.

"I was getting to that!" Chronoa stood on her toes, not that it made her any taller, as she balled her fists at Trunks for interrupting her. She cleared her throat, as Trunks straightened back up, after he had to lean away from her.

"In another universe, they are the exact opposite, in every way." Universe 6's planet Sadala came up. "Most notably in that their race had _not_ gone almost completely extinct." she threw Trunks a side-glare. "These Saiyans became famous, all over their universe, instead!" she spread her arms, then brought forth her index-finger. "Not for their cruelty, their thirst for battle and destruction..." She wagged her finger, then brought her palms together. "But, for their selflessness, honor and the power they use, to this day, in service of the people." she raised her fists in front of her. "Every member of their species is raised with a sense of justice they uphold throughout their world."

"The exposing of their long-time leader as a fraud, aside." Trunks leaned in, again.

"I was getting to that, too!" Chronoa growled in the same manner as before. "Don't you have some training to oversee!?" she folded her arms.

"You said you needed a Saiyan who's from the 7th Universe. And since we couldn't pull my dad or Goku _or_ Beranise from any time-line, I was the closest person who qualified." Trunks reminded her and turned to the others. "With that said, I'm only half Saiyan. I was born and raised on Earth and I don't even have a tail, anymore." he pointed out and put a hand to his chin. "Come to think of it, Goku was raised on Earth and Beranise wasn't exactly raised like a Saiyan, either. The only one who knows what _our_ universe's Saiyans were really like is my father, but he changed a lot, as well, so..." he shrugged.

"Well...there's Broly and Turles." Chronoa gestured with a hand, uncomfortably.

"I...wouldn't really consider Broly _normal_." Trunks nervously held up his hands, speaking from experience. "Not considering they're from a different time-line, Turles might be a better example of a typical Saiyan, but...I don't think we could or...should have either of them here." he said and Chronoa sighed.

"That's true." she admitted. "I'd probably get interrupted by a giant energy blast, instead of just words." she added, putting her hands on her hips

"And Bardock is…" Trunk trailed off, as the mighty father of Goku was lost, no one knew where or when, after he seemingly sacrificed himself to take Mira down with him.

"Still fighting…wherever he is." Chronoa noted, with admiration and appreciation, lowering her hands and a longer silence followed. A new recruit slowly raised her hand.

"Isn't that female Saiyan, you mentioned, currently not even in her own Universe, at the moment?" she asked.

"That's high-level information! Where did you even hear that!?" Chronoa leaned forward, narrowing her eyes, making the recruits nervous.

"It's...not that high-level, actually." Trunks noted, slightly embarrassed rumors of every kind could spread so easily even trainees could overhear things. "They could also get a lot of info out of the bots in the Hub that are tracking missions." he added and Chronoa refolded her arms with a small growl. "Anyway...it's true." Trunks answered the question. "But, our only worry is the time-line. It isn't forbidden for a person from one universe to go to another." he clarified.

"Our jurisdiction as Time Patrollers is throughout all of time." Chronoa rephrased. "Whatever happens between universes is permitted, as long as nobody tries to alter any point in history, in any way." she gave Trunks another, more meaningful side-glance, as he nearly became a repeat offender, in that.

"Not gonna let that one go." Trunks sighed.

"However..." Chronoa continued. "Since we have yet to see how things turn out after the Tournament of Power, we don't actually have to worry about any changes to the time-line, because it is being created as we speak." she noted, as she looked at an unfolded scroll on the table through which they could see what was happening on Sadala, keeping tabs.

...

On the training ground, Beranise, in her normal state, was standing between seven female Super Saiyans, all in their Sadala Defense Force uniforms, who were attacking her, two or three, at a time, as she had her eyes closed. They were more muscular than other Saiyans of their universe, even in their normal states, as in Beranise's own words, the strongest of them that she hand-picked, also turned out to be the more meatier ones. She concentrated on their movements, but after one or two evasions, got hit, anyway, heavily planting a foot down to stop herself from falling to the ground, every time, from the force of their multiplied strength. Her top trainees briefly stopped, now and again, seeing she was getting more roughed up, by the minute, but they did not stop, nor were they holding back, as per her instructions. Cabba and Renso were watching from a distance. The latter had his arms folded.

"She's been at this since she came." Renso noted. "What is she trying to do? I thought getting more of the soldiers to reach these Super forms was the point."

"That's not all, I think." Cabba said. "And she did that with those seven in just a few days. They got there almost as fast as Caulifla and Kale, too. But, I don't think this is for _their_ training, right now." he suspected.

"Does it have anything to do with that Goku guy and what you said he did during the tournament?" Renso easily deduced, as he watched. "From the looks of it, she's trying to force herself into that same state, but she has to know it can't possibly be that straight forward."

"She told me she did it, once, back at the tournament, but..." Beranise kept getting punched in the face and was bleeding from the mouth. "It's like whatever made her do it just isn't there, now." Cabba assumed. "I don't think it's working." He winced at the scene, as Beranise was dodging some of the attacks, as they came from all sides, but only through basic energy-sense and not Ultra Instinct. She took the blows that her speed could not avoid in her normal state. The next attacker, with the shortest hair, shaven even shorter on one-side and swept over to the other, but only an inch shorter than Beranise, in height, stopped behind her, seeing their session was not having the desired effect.

"Whatever you want out of this, isn't working, ma'am." she told her, meekly.

"I know!" Beranise slightly snapped at her and opened her eyes, not turning to look at her. "And I told you to stop with the _ma'am_ thing, Kayen!" she muttered, finally looking at her from the corner of her eyes.

"S-Sorry." She did a slight bow, reverting to normal with the rest of them and her feathered pixie-cut barely reached her ears, on the side, while the single bang hung just above her brow.

"Aww, teacher's pet doesn't wanna hurt her, anymore!" the shortest of them, even by Saiyan standards, with the highest pitched voice, teased her. She was a good head shorter than all of them, even shorter than Cabba and her hair resembled the tail of a squirrel, only upside down and tied with a pale purple band to stand upwards from her waist.

"Pinch...!" Kayen started, gritting her teeth in annoyance.

"Wasn't all that bad, really." A third, with a shoulder-length mullet that was shaven on the sides spoke, standing with a forth, who looked identical to her, except her hair and eyes were albino and more well-kept. She continued her twin sister's sentence.

"We learned we still have a long way to go. You could still avoid a lot of our attacks, without turning Super Saiyan yourself." she pointed out, seeing the value in their session, even if Beranise was not focused on it.

"We _all_ have a long way to go." Beranise muttered, glaring at the ground, as she pondered what was missing and the answer was annoyingly obvious, though she refused to admit she needed Vados in any way. She could not trigger herself by ridding her mind of any other thought, leaving only herself, her opponent and the fight, since she was not fighting who she was out for. And against seven opponents, it was even less likely she could succeeded, no matter how much she let them beat her. Goku was at the edge, the only time he saw him enter that state. He could unconsciously tap into it, as a last resort, before Jiren delivered what would have been a final blow. But, that was not the trigger she needed. Just like their reason for first turning Super Saiyan, it probably differed for them.

"So..." The fifth girl, second shortest, tanned, with chin-length hair that clumped together like seaweed and a small tattoo of a starfish under her left eye, meekly spoke, after a few long seconds. "We're calling it a day, early, or..." She suddenly flinched back, pulling a leg up.

"Like my blind cheeks, we are!" The sixth one shut her quitting-talk down. Her normal hair was still somewhat spiked with short bangs tied before both ears by ginger-colored bands and she had a matching bandana around her head. She spoke with an accent one would hear from pirates and had tattoos. One, was a bomb, on the back of her left hand, as if it was an off-hand weapon, considering energy-blasts. The other was a shark-like animal, under her left eye, with more eyes and fins than Earthlings might have been familiar with. She also had a tan, indicating she spent a lot of her life out in the sun, same as the one she yelled at.

"None of us is calling it quits." The last member, an inch shorter than Kayen, with the deepest voice, slightly boyish features, slicked-back hair reaching the nape of her neck, calmly assured her, speaking for all of them and looked at Beranise, who was still in her own head and looked like she had not even heard a word they said. They glanced between one another, seeing if any of them would dare speak to her. Kayen took it upon herself, again, stepping next to her.

"Uh...Ma'am..." she started, but jerked back, as if from a biting snake, when she saw Beranise's silver eyes. Everyone who was behind her shuffled in front of her to see, as Beranise glared daggers into the ground or more likely the person she was thinking of, but the moment passed as quickly as it came and her eyes turned back to normal. She blinked, twice, looking up at their surprised faces that were like half frightened, half curious kittens.

"What?" she asked, looking at them, somewhat irritated and they could not say anything, as none of them new what they saw.

"W-we don't know." Kayen told her, as confused as the others.

"Don't know _what_?" Beranise made a face, not even following what they were talking about, as they were all leaning closer, staring into her eyes. She realized why they might have been doing that, briefly looked at the ground and herself, then back at them.

"Stop staring and get back to training!" Beranise ordered them.

"Right!" Kayen exclaimed, as she stood at attention, like the good soldier she aimed to be and Beranise sighed at that. Some of the others did not quite have the discipline to even serve, but she did not pick them because of their discipline or a lack of it, either. Only for the potential they had. Beranise walked back towards Cabba and Renso, as she heard her appointed squad-leader issue commands to the rest.

"Did you feel that?" Renso asked Cabba, over the sound of Kayen's voice.

"Yes." Cabba nodded, as Beranise approached them.

"Kurogo, Shirogo! You two are with me!" Kayen was telling the two sisters. Then looked at the pirate-like one and at the one the latter yelled at, who had seaweed-like hair.

"Shoga...! You're with Nori, this time! You and Pinch are way too alike, already." she commented and a disappointed groan came from the smallest one while the one called Nori nervously frowned at the grinning Shoga, as the latter seemed to be taking some delight in being pitted against her.

"Perille, _you're_ with Pinch!" Another groan came from the little Pinch, as she was paired with the stoic of their team.

"This _Super Seven Squad_ of yours still has a ways to go..." Renso told Beranise, as she walked up to them. "Especially with unit cohesion." he added, the experience of a commander speaking from him. "But, considering you put them together in just a few days, they're coming along fast."

"It's really unfortunate Caulifla is...well..." Cabba trailed off, as he would not dare say anything bad about her, even when she was not there.

"Hmph. My sister is definitely not team-material." Renso had a knowing smile.

"And you think _**I**_ am?" Beranise folded her arms, as she was not that much different.

"Why train them, then?" Renso raised a brow.

"Well, I'm not doing it so I could just hang back and throw 'em at others, like that Jiren, then dis them for being weak, anyway. I wanna make them as strong as they can be, so the next time those Omni-Brats want a show, them and their little Angels are gonna be the punching bags!" Beranise said.

"Sounds like you're on a warpath." Renso saw it, arms still folded. "It also doesn't sound much different from throwing your men at the enemy. Like you just said this Jiren did." he pointed out and Beranise's eyes briefly widened at the comparison, then she glared at him for the accusation. "You have a problem with them and the Omni-Kings. And we get that." he said and continued with some incredulity and small laughter in his voice. "But, it sounds like you want every capable fighter, in this universe and the next, to rebel." He thought he was slightly exaggerating, but was surprised, along with Cabba, when Beranise merely lifted her head higher and her face told them it was actually what she wanted.

"Uh-oh..." Trunks muttered, looking at the scroll that was practically writing itself, as he watched events unfold, with an equally worried Chronoa.

...

On Earth, in the 7th Universe, at Capsule Corporations HQ, Bulma was host, again, to a few friendly faces. She and Trunks were playing with Bulla, making faces at her. Videl stood and watched Pan as she chased Gohan around in the air. Krillin, 18 and Marron sat at a table, behind her, with three empty plates and glasses of lemonade.

"Can I fly, too?" Marron squeaked, smiling up at their antics and her question caught her mother by surprise, but her father just chuckled.

"Maybe. Who knows?" Krillin encouragingly told her, unsure if she had the potential, but knew it would be quite a while, before they could find out. 18 looked somewhat worried by the possibility of their daughter growing up to be a fighter, but another part of her also knew she would be strong, like her father, if it turned out like that and she smilingly nodded at her.

Beerus was lounging on a tanning chair, with a cocktail in his hand and one of his ears twitched as he overheard the exchange, letting out a small groan that even the smallest of their children were already showing signs of great power or just the desire to have it, finding it exhausting, but also remember it and their bond was what won them the Tournament. Whis was sitting next to him, on a chair, back straight, staff in hand, as he smiled at the peaceful noon scene.

"Say, Lord Beerus..." Bulma walked up to them, with Trunks, as she was holding Bulla. "You've been hanging around since the Tournament. Vegeta told me what happened to him and Goku." She tapped Bulla's nose with an index-finger, then looked back at him. "Keeping an eye on the competition, are you?" she teasingly asked and did not even nervously back away, but merely chuckled as Beerus slightly narrowed his eyes at her.

"It is true our Lord has taken even more of an interest in the progression of the Saiyans, in particular." Whis replied and Beerus shot him a small glare. The former brought up a projection of the same desert Goku and Vegeta were sparring in, as much for training's sake as for the fun of it. Both were grinningly gritting their teeth, while they pushed against each other, again, as they have been doing since the Tournament. "Although they both seem to be stuck, at the moment, they have truly proven to be able to evolve past expectation. And that includes our female Saiyan, as well." he mentioned Beranise and Videl overheard. She turned and walked up to them, as well.

"You still can't reach her or your sister, then?" Videl asked.

"Not yet. Reparations are likely still being made on her staff, I'm afraid. Communicating with her, within this universe, _would_ be possible. However, I cannot make contact when she's in another, if she doesn't have her staff." Whis replied.

"Can't your father or the Lord Zenos, like, snap a finger and make one?" Bulma asked and Whis let out a light laugh.

"That be quite convenient!" he exclaimed. "Despite their frail appearance, the staffs are quite complex and no to mention _dangerous_ tools. Repairing _the one_ is already taking the Grand Priest longer than it did to build the stage for the tournament."

"Wow…" Bulma muttered.

"I do wonder how my sister and Lord Champa are faring; literally, I should add, if they have to travel anywhere. Even reaching out to their universe's Supreme Kai may prove difficult, without it." Whis mused.

…

Back in the 6th Universe, on a small, mostly colorless planet, with barely any greenery and only rocky deserts, Champa and Vados were sitting in a torch-lit hall, at a large, long wooden table, with a number of admittedly odd-looking dishes spread in front of them, as their nervous, dark-yellow, humanoid hosts and the chefs stood in front of them, shaking in fear. Champa was visibly in a foul mood already, as he fidgeted in the hastily cushioned wooden chair he had to squeeze himself into.

"It's embarrassing enough we had to come here on a spaceship. A _spaceship_!" he emphasized the insult. "_Me_!? A Destroyer forced to fly like a common mortal." he folded his arms, sulking.

"My staff is still being repaired, My Lord, as you know." Vados repeated.

"We can't even call the Supreme Kai and we don't have anything else, because that Saiyan harpy took our only _Cube_, when she left! How could you even let her take it!?" he yelled at Vados, not even concentrating on trying the food. Yet. But, it only made the leaders of the indigenous race even more nervous, as there was little hope their meager cuisine would please the gourmet God of Destruction. And they knew, having heard the horror stories of other planets, what upsetting him usually led to.

...

The Super Seven individually were already almost as strong as Cabba or Beranise, both in their normal state and as Super Saiyans. The latter was looking towards the squad she put together, as the seven women trained, but her mind was clearly somewhere else, again. Cabba and Renso could tell as much, as she had not said a word to them since they were stunned to silence by the revelation of her intentions. The ceaseless, almost rhythmic, sound of fists and feet clashing reached all the way to them.

Kayen appeared to be slightly more skilled than all of the others, as she defended herself against the simultaneous attacks of the two sisters, who clearly had enough practice fighting alongside each other, even before they enlisted in the Defense Force. Nori kept wincingly fending off and dodging a viciously grinning Shoga's relentless, heavy attack attempts, but pairing them up was probably to teach them something about their own style of fighting, the strengths and weaknesses of both. Pinch would have been having a frown-off with Perille, if the latter had actually shown any expression on her even face, as she methodically engaged in a series of gradually sped up attacks that eventually broke through Pinch's guard, catching her off balance and providing an opening for the wordless Perille. The latter did not even make any grunting noises as she drove her attacks in, rattling her small opponents head, with almost amusing mercilessness, like a boxer with no referee to hold her back.

"Cabba, Sir!" A worried soldier ran up to Cabba, Renso and Beranise. "We just received an emergency transmission from planet Kutidi! It said the God of Destruction is there and he's threatening to destroy them!" While Cabba and Renso's eyes widened in alarm, Beranise's narrowed. "They...contacted us, in case...it's their last message. We currently have a delegation from them, staying at the embassy."

"What kind of people are these _Kutidians_?" Beranise asked and the soldier was not expecting such a question, while Cabba knew why she was asking.

"Does it matter?" he turned to Beranise. "No one deserves to be destroyed with their entire planet, no matter how bad they are. And the _Kutidians_ aren't even bad people!" Cabba was quick to add.

"They're not very advanced. Don't have technology anywhere near the spacefaring level. But, they're good folk." Renso described. "So, if you want a reason to step in and…try and stop a God of Destruction, there you have it."

"Oh, I don't really need any more reasons to put him down." Beranise said, then folded her arms. "But, yeah. I just wanted to make sure whoever I'm accidentally gonna help out will be worth saving. _He_ doesn't care _who_ he wipes out! It's just a job for him!" she pointed out.

"Would you be any different with that kind of responsibility?" Renso asked. "I imagine keeping balance, on a universal scale, isn't just difficult. The hardest part is that it's probably not supposed to be fair, in the first place." Beranise glared. "Not that I'm making excuses for him." Renso held up his hands and Beranise reached into her pocket, as she started walking away, to take out a capsule.

"You're really going, then?" Cabba worriedly asked as the Cube appeared.

"I don't know how fast that thing is..." Renso started. "But Kutidi isn't exactly in our neighborhood."

"Unless you have a Yardratian in your embassy or Fuwa's number, it's the only thing I got." Beranise turned back to them, putting her scouter on. "Give me the coordinates!" she told the soldier, who immediately started scribbling down some numbers on a piece of paper, as he listened to her. "And send them a message to tell Champa a special delivery is on the way from Sadala! That should make him stay put." Beranise took the piece of paper and boarded the Cube, slipping through the membrane as she put the coordinates into her scouter, then immediately took off, without another word. The squad of Saiyan women stopped their practice as they heard the commotion and ran up to Cabba as they saw Beranise fly off.

"Where is she going!?" Kayen asked, feeling it was something serious.

"She's…going to fight Lord Champa." Cabba gravely said, to their shock, as they had, at least, some understanding of what a Destroyer God was capable of.

...

"Fine! But, only because it's from Sadala." Champa temporarily took mercy on the people of Kutidi and leaned back in the bare, unpadded, uncomfortable chair and folded his arms. "Hmph. What's that about." he muttered. "Why would _they_ have a special delivery?" he wondered, out loud, turning to Vados, who soon felt the answer approaching, but remained silent, seeing Champa was too busy impatiently picking at the food, already, to even notice.

"Can she really do it?" Kayen asked Cabba, somewhat worried. "Beat a God?"

"It's not impossible." Cabba replied. "There is a warrior in the 11th Universe, who is stronger than their God of Destruction." he encouragingly noted. "But, we don't really know how strong Lord Champa is." He still worried, as well, while back on planet Kutidi, Champa was nibbling at the dishes he did not even get to, as he already started his threats, before even trying all of them. He tasted some and made a face, throwing a piece of meat back on the plate. Vados saw he would not wait for much longer.

"The special delivery should be here any minute, now, My Lord." she said and it seemed to surprise him some.

"Really? Sadala is pretty far from this place. Since when do they have ships that fast? We should've taken one of _them_, instead of the big hunk of junk we got." he grumbled, as the large, disk-shaped, over-decorated craft they came on was outside and it was easily the size of the dining hall they were in. It had vaguely hieroglyph-like depictions and filigree, all in gold, on it. A vessel that was fit, if not for speed, then for the size of the Destroyer's ego, at least and a ridiculously long red carpet was rolled out all the way from the ship's ramp to the entrance of the multi-layered stone structure that was the governor's meager palace.

"We do rarely use it." Vados casually noted, as there had not been many occasions where they opted for it. The governor and the chefs were still nervously standing around, across from them, at a careful distance from the table. All were sweating bullets as they saw the Destroyer was restless. At least, when it came to eating and destroying things, anyway. And not for any other activity. But, one planet was already destroyed, because someone let slip words to that effect that Champa overheard. Back on Sadala, they truly did not know what to expect.

"Hey, I got it!" Shoga exclaimed. "Once the boss powers up, we'll just find and grab one of the Yardies and go over there." she pitched her plan.

"Are you crazy!?" Pinch took a step back from her. As fight-happy as they both were, she was not suicidal.

"They're going to be fighting with all their power." Cabba warned. "All of us could end up injured or worse, just by being near them."

"He's right." Kayen said. "_Our _power is dangerous enough. But, we can't even imagine theirs."

"Oh, that's right." Cabba remembered. "You're all new. All of you only saw Beranise as a Super Saiyan. You haven't seen the levels above that. It can be...overwhelming." He recalled his fight with Vegeta and the power he showed him. Also, the one he managed to unlock during the Tournament of Power and those were merely scratching the surface of a much deeper potential that was in Saiyans.

"We'll probably feel it soon enough." Perille said with an even tone, arms folded.

Vados sensed Beranise was closing in on the planet.

"Hmm." Vados quietly reacted.

"What?" Champa asked.

"Oh, nothing." Vados pretended nothing was happening, as the Cube entered the atmosphere, plowed through the clouds and Beranise could see the surface that was growing closer. She spotted a larger settlement, out of all the smaller ones that dotted the land and saw a ship she could only assume, by the exterior and rolled out carpet, was Champa's. She landed not too far from it, stepped out of the Cube, put it back in its capsule and turned to look at the gaudy ship.

"Hmph." She gave it a frown, taking her scouter off. Inside, Champa and Vados were idly sitting, while everyone else stood around, frozen in fear. An explosion, outside, rocked the place and Champa nearly fell from the chair he was grumbling in.

"What the heck was what!?" he exclaimed, as all the guards ran outside, along with the governors. He and Vados went towards the entrance, giving the people a weird glare, as they all apologetically fell on their knees, as if already silently begging him to not get upset over something. He made it to the entrance and stepped outside. His jaw hit the ground, when he saw his ship was a smoldering wreck. His mouth was still agape as he finally noticed the one responsible and he gritted his teeth. Beranise had her back turned and was probably admiring her work, arms folded, but she also knew it would anger Champa even more if she acknowledged him last.

"You!" he growled, balling his fists and Beranise turned, not smiling. "So, it was you, who was coming from Sadala!"

"Took you long enough to waddle out." She unfolded her arms, not even looking at Vados.

"That's _it_! I've had it with you!" Champa yelled.

"The feeling is mutual. You had a second chance and this is what you do with it!?" she raised her voice, matching his and Champa was slightly confused.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" he needed an explanation.

"You're as dense as ever." she started, ticking him off even more. "You were brought back and instead of doing things differently, you're still some spoiled tyrant throwing a fit and destroying innocent lives. And the only ones who're even worse than you is those Brats you Gods are all so scared of."

"Insulting _me_ and the Grand Leaders will just get you the same punishment! So keep digging!" Champa was ready to sink his claws into her.

"Oh, I plan to." Beranise assured him she would dig many graves. "As for your Grands Leaders, I'm just keeping a promise to them. They're gonna be very happy." Beranise coyly said, but her face said the opposite.

"'Happy!?'" Champa weirdly repeated. "What do you mean!?" He was lost, again.

"They wanna see me get stronger. And I will. But, first...I'm gonna have to get my feet wet." Beranise was telling him he would only be a warm-up and a vein appeared on Champa's temple.

"This is the last time you ever speak to me like that!" he told her, in no uncertain terms.

"You got that right." Beranise stated, gritting her teeth and with just a growl, turned Super Saiyan 4, instantly growing all the hair that came with the form. Champa's glare deepened as he only understood her intent, fully, then. On Sadala, they suddenly felt her immense power.

"I-Is...is that...?" Kayen was shaking, as were the rest. Even the somewhat stoic Perille's pupils were dilating, as they all felt the crushing pressure, even from that distance.

"They're...they're on the other side of the galaxy..." Shirogo whispered.

"This power..." Her sister spoke. "It's insane."

"What the hell is this?" Shoga's trembling voice asked and Cabba was gazing up at the sky, in the direction they felt it from, somewhat confused by its strength.

"This...this is Super Saiyan 4, but..." he started. "It's even stronger...it...feels different." he described, as Beranise stared Champa down, with her full power flaring around her, honed to its absolute peak, in a new burgundy aura that somewhat surprised Vados, even as Champa was too caught up in the moment to see or care. Apparently, Beranise had already pushed her limits further and back on Earth, in the 7th Universe, Mr. Popo just finished restocking the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, as Dende waited for him, outside the door.

"It is done." Mr. Popo told him, as he came out and closed the door.

"I hope that short year she spent in there was enough." Dende thought, out loud. "She didn't really look like she got what she wanted out of her time in there." He recalled Beranise's unsatisfied face, after she emerged, having spent just a month short of a whole year inside, immediately after they returned from the survival tournament. And even though the results were not what she wanted, she managed to bring out the ultimate power of her Super Saiyan 4 form, now able to more than tread water with a God.

_After barely a week since the Tournament of Power, Beranise, having spent nearly another year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, has already tracked down Champa the Destroyer and was, now, challenging the God of the 6th Universe to a fight that will definitely be to the very end. With the power of Super Saiyan 4 pushed to its very limit, she looked like she meant business. But, can this already improved form really be enough to fight the brother of Lord Beerus? And will the people of Planet Kutidi even live to tell their next generation of the battle that was about take place on their humble planet? Find out, when history continues to be written, on Dragon Ball Super! _


	3. Episode 02

**Episode 02 **

**Tyrant Breaker**

The winds picked up and all Kutidians who dared linger near, at first, cowered inside their masterfully crafted, robust stone buildings, as they peeked at the stand-off through the cracks of their hastily blocked and boarded up windows. Beranise looked like she was serious, but Champa, in his arrogance and usual nonchalant cluelessness, was not convinced she would even be a threat, especially since he was not alive to see the new heights of power the Saiyans had all reached or tapped into during the tournament. Evidently Vados did not feel it important to warn him and kept silent. He frowned with one pointy tooth showing.

"I'm hungry..." Champa muttered. "I'll make this quick." he said and raised his right palm, towards Beranise. "Hak-...!" She disappeared, making him stop, as her fist appeared in his face. "AH!" Champa's head snapped back, but he quickly had to regain his balance and senses to avoid and block the follow-up fists and feet, only half of which he could handle. A few jabs found his face, then, as his head was reeling from them, making him incidentally lean away from one kick, but another caught him in the right side of his head, making his ear ring, while the other collected dirt, skidding along the ground. With his pudgy face, he dug up the soil, which slowed him to a stop and he pulled it up, barring his teeth, as his eyes twitched. His expression softened into a confused blink as he did not see Beranise, anywhere. He suddenly felt like he should really look up and saw she was coming down on him with an energy-enhanced punch. "HAAAH!" Champa screamed in panic and rolled to the side. "WAAH!" Screaming on, when he got blown away with the debris, as the quaking punch made a sizeable crater.

Vados observed the fight, with her usual passiveness, as the locals shakily peeked from their homes. Beranise frowned, fist in the ground, as she knelt in the crater, while Champa stood up from the rubble with small chunks rolling off his reddened head, on which one could have fried an egg. Even if he had a calm facade it would have vanished from the killing stare Beranise shot him from the corner of her eyes, as she spotted him and whatever curses he was going to hurl her way got caught in his throat. A portion of the crater's edge exploded, as Beranise shot straight towards Champa, making a wide canal. He viciously growled, bracing himself and Beranise rammed into him, pushing him back, as they locked hands. To his chagrin, he could barely stop her, as they ground to a halt. Beranise brought their hands down and to the side, spreading them, then jumped and drove both knees up in his jaw, in an uppercut. Then she drop-kicked him, in the belly, back into the ground, opening a chasm. She quickly charged a purple blast in her hand and slung it into the abyss, flying after it. Champa came rocketing up, with a howl, but had to immediately dodge the preemptive, but somehow still slow blast, giving Beranise enough of an opening to descend past him and grab both of his ankles, then she threw him after her blast that detonated at the same time Champa plummeted into it, burying him even deeper, as a whole swath of land just collapsed, practically creating a valley and reshaped the landscape.

Beranise knew he was far from finished and her eyes kept darting, trying to see where he would come out, as she could not sense his godly energy. Vados kept watching. Predictably enough, Champa was too enraged to try a sneak attack or any that needed some strategy and he came screaming out of the exploding ground, having been hurt both by the throw and by the explosion. His ego was as bruised as him. With a slightly quivering glare, he began to realize it was not going to be an easy fight and that he should take the Saiyan woman's power seriously. He glowed with the purple aura of his Power of Destruction, visibly deciding to use it all and Beranise's death-glare remained the same, but she knew the real fight was about to begin.

…

"Wow! This is incredible!" Trunks was glued to the screen that was the self-writing scroll.

"Of course, _you're_ excited." Chronoa folded her arms. "It doesn't matter if you're only half Saiyan or even just a quarter. You just love a fight." she sighed, shaking her head.

"It's not as intense as Goku's battle with Jiren, but it's pretty close." Trunks noted.

"Not as intense!?" Chronoa incredulously asked, putting her hands on her hips and gesturing at the scroll with one hand. "They're destroying half the planet!" she exclaimed.

"Well…it's kind of a small planet. And…to be honest, there isn't much to destroy." Trunks muttered.

"Trunks!" Chronoa reprimandingly balled her fists at him, for having such a callous reaction.

"What? We have nothing to do, here. And it's not a crime. Not as far as time is concerned. As bad as it is for the people there, it's happening whether we want it or not." Trunks knew they could not change anything, as it was history in the making.

"I know." Chronoa lowered her gaze. "It's just that…she's always been careful not to damage other planets too much, when she freed them from Frieza's forces. And now…she's…well…I hope she doesn't lose herself, especially with wanting revenge so much." She worriedly looked at the live-image on the scroll, seeing Beranise's viciousness.

…

The ground and sky trembled, along with every living creature, near and far, large or small, as the two of them made a largely barren wasteland look even worse, driving each other through the arid soil, splitting cliffs and creating crevices where there were none before, tearing up the land even more than Beerus and Goku did on Earth, as both went all out. Vados had to follow, as she could not comfortably observe them from afar without her staff. She saw whole mountain ranges, in the distance, disappear from the horizon, as they crumbled and whatever bodies of water there were spilled out from their basins to pool in newly made ones the two left in their wake.

"She started losing energy." Kayen felt Beranise, back on Sadala. "What do you think that means?" she worriedly turned to Cabba, fearing the worst was happening to their mentor.

"I'm not sure. Maybe..." Cabba paused to consider the possibilities, none of which bode well. "Maybe Lord Champa is using more power, as well. And she's trying to keep up with him."

"This is wicked..." Kurogo whispered, feeling her power.

"Can _we_ be that strong?" Shirogo asked, turning from her excited sister.

"Maybe..." Was all Cabba could say, looking at the ground as he recalled Vegeta's words, again and Goku's form, at the tournament. Meanwhile, Fuwa, the Supreme Kai, was too busy blowing a bubble from his nose, in a hammock, on his planet, to even feel the forces that were being unleashed.

Vados could feel them getting closer, coming back from a round trip that spanned a good portion of the small planet and saw the clouds being blown apart by their hits. She lifted her gaze, higher up, after hearing what also felt like a strong impact, nearby and saw Champa breaking through some clouds, as he was falling towards the ground, alarmingly fast. He passed directly in front of her face, followed by a somewhat bruised Beranise, who did not even bat an eye at her, even as time slowed for the brief moment Vados took to assess her state as she caught up to Champa. He slowed his own rapid descent to fire a series of strong blasts at her, using both hands. With a burst of speed, Beranise curled up into a ball, rolling through his energy barrage, above him, into an axe-kick that a surprised Champa could not completely block by crossing his hands. Her heel broke his guard and his nose, sending him further down.

Beranise fired an energy volley after him, but before it reached Champa, he snapped and with his nose gushing a trail of blood, charged straight through the blast, their painful heat stinging and singeing his face and body, all of which he was ignoring in his blind fury. Their situation briefly reversed as Beranise barely had time to raise her forearms in front of herself, still feeling pain shoot through her as Champa head-butted her, pushing her back. She gritted her teeth, shrugging it off and stopped him with a knee to his belly, but Champa stopped the other with his hands, as Beranise already raised hers above her head, to hammer down on him. Champa quickly brought his hands up and blocked it, then thrust both his soles into her stomach, pushing her away and Beranise spat blood, briefly moving her hands to feel the spot, but Champa started kicking towards her. Before he could consider changing his approach, Beranise, after blocking and driving his feet to the sides, a few times, briefly grabbed one leg, with her left hand and yanked on it, pulling him into a punch from the right. His face slid off her fist as he ducked to kick her in the side with his left foot and she turned inwards, bringing her left knee up to block his right kick. Champa mistakenly laid into it, trying to push her back, but Beranise, true to her style, turned further in and grabbed his ankle with her left hand, keeping him in place, as she spun halfway around, with a right elbow in his face, ending up with her back to him.

Briefly stunned, Champa immediately lunged back at her, with a right elbow that he turned into a clawing, reversed swipe. Beranise, unable to bend backwards or even away, sharply bent forward, instead and as his hand swept over her, she went into a tilted roll, bringing her right heel across his face. And as Beranise spun completely forward from the momentum of her upside down axe-kick, Champa was facing away, dazed again from the instant counter-attack, as she grabbed the back of his left ankle, with her right hand. "NO!" exclaimed as Beranise pulled him down. "Not agai-...!" he was cut off. "EH!" By her glowing left fist she drove in his stomach, exploding the energy and winding him. He involuntarily spat what saliva was in his mouth, but before Beranise could repeat the attack, holding onto him, he glowed, erupting with a purple, destructive barrier around him, forcing her to put some distance between them, as he was coughing from within, unable to even immediately curse at her. The barrier became transparent and she could see he was having trouble accepting the trashing he was receiving, even at full-power.

"This impossible!" Champa whined. "My brother told me, long ago, your race was so weak he even told that Frieza guy to wipe you all out." Beranise's glare briefly let up from the surprise. "How do you have such power!?" Champa balled his fists, in front of himself, then noticed Beranise's expression. "What's that?" he mockingly asked. "He didn't brag about that, did he?" he chuckled. Beranise, of course, knew Frieza felt threatened about the legend of the Super Saiyan, so he surely would have destroyed Planet Vegeta, regardless. Beerus also ordering him to do it felt completely coincidental to her. And even if it was not...

"So, what?" Beranise scoffed and Champa was disappointedly surprised. "I had no love for them. Our Saiyans were savages, who didn't care who they destroyed. Like _you_." she narrowed her eyes at him. "The galaxies are better off without them. So, guess where that leaves you." She slowly floated closer with her threat.

"You haven't beaten me, yet!" Champa yelled, from within his barrier.

"Yet?" Beranise raised a brow. "So you can see the future, huh. Good to know." she goaded him, but still did not smile with it. Champa's vein on his forehead throbbed as he briefly curled up, before he spread his limbs out, screaming as he showered the area around him with energy blasts, similarly to what his was prone to doing. Beranise braced herself, taking the first few hits that smoked as they singed her fur, but she felt they were not strong enough to cause serious injury, so she began slapping them back, with timed parries, into the oncoming ones, producing a cloud of smoke around herself. Champa could not see what she was doing and simply expected her to be pinned in place, as he dropped his barrier and screamed an energy blast into the smoke-screen Beranise accidentally created. It was blown away, revealing no one inside and before Champa could let a lengthy growl out, Beranise reappeared, not even from behind him or from any other angle, but with his energy blast flying away, growing smaller, behind her, while she became larger, quickly getting in his lumped-up face. In his panic, jerking back, he released another mouth-blast, hitting Beranise with it, but her hand reached through the smoke, slightly from the side, balled into a fist and a right-hook caught him in the jaw. Beranise only wobbled, then, from the damage the attack did to her, giving Champa the brief second he needed to recover and return the punch, drawing blood from Beranise's mouth. She went with the force of it, turning outwards and spun completely around, kicking him in the side of the head with her left foot. Champa body-slammed her, in return, with a right elbow, knocking her back and off balance, but not long enough to get another hit in, as she could brace herself and rebuff him, promptly firing an energy blast into him, the moment she pushed him away. Champa got hit square in the face and could not see, though his rage already blinded him, one could say, as he squinted with his singed eyes and started hurling blasts in front of himself.

He was not even trying to lead his target, as Beranise circled all around him, drawing the stream of blasts in every direction, but none hit her, even as he kept firing at an uneven pace, growing more vehement and slow, from the frustration, then steadily speeding up, when he could see clearly again. For Beranise, the problem was she could not get near him, as the blasts were fast enough to keep her on the move, without a window she could use to attack back. She charged a blast, for a long second and with a quick diagonal spin, she fired it upwards, close enough to him for it to look like a missed shot and she continued to dodge, keeping herself below him and his attention on herself. The blast she fired exploded, high above, raining down a hail of smaller shots, on top of Champa, who noticed them too late and had to stop his attack as he was getting hit everywhere, being pushed downwards. In the next second, he felt it was no longer the blasts that were hitting him, but Beranise, as she bobbed and weaved between them, same as she did against Vegeta and as soon as the raining blasts stopped coming Champa immediately pulled out, distancing himself and baring his teeth from anger and pain.

Vados looked on as Champa charged at Beranise, like a mad bull, again, head-first, coated in his Power of Destruction's purple glow and actually exploded it on contact, catching Beranise off-guard, who gasped as she was blown back from the point-blank blast that acted like a repulsing energy-wave. She winced, regaining her balance in-time to partially block a hammer-blow that pushed her down, until she stopped herself. Champa dived and locked hands with her as he speed towards the ground with her.

"Hurt your head…c-coming up with that?" she growled in his face, as she struggled with him.

"Shut your mouth!" Champa yelled and they dove deeper, but just before they plunged into a chasm, Beranise pulled on him and veered off, similarly to how Jiren saved himself when Frieza tried to take him down with him. They crashed into the surface on the side of the chasm, breaking it off and widening it, vanishing into the darkness. After a few seconds, as the dust barely settled, infrequent tremors started shaking the ground, loosening the rocks, the edges of which kept cracking and falling in, along with larger slabs that just slid off, into the chasm, making it even wider, almost perfectly circular. They jousted each other, one going clock-wise, the other counter to it, blasting each other and shaving more off the edges, not with their blasts, bit simply with just the wave of energy surrounding them, as they circled around to collide, exploding the side and expanding the chasm, giving it an irregular shape, once again. They kept backing off from each other, then came together for single strikes, like two lightning rods that came alive and were having a sword fight, in the middle of a storm, wildly flailing at and hitting each other, creating the lightning themselves with every clash, the thunder from which would have stopped any normal living being's hearth, crumbling the already lose ground with ease and it echoed all over the planet. Rising higher with every attack, they were back, just under the storm clouds, as they remained closer and closer to each other, after every attempt.

For a minute, their fight devolved into the inevitable, almost mandatory, slug-fest. The kind Champa, in particular, would usually end up in, with his brother, before Whis and Vados would separate them. But, since there was only one Destroyer involved, there was no danger of anything crumbling to dust, around them. Not from clashing powers of Destruction, at least. Droplets of blood and sweat were thrown in the air as they hit each other's face, while the sky quaked from every contact. However, Beranise was not really interested in how well she could stand up to his punches and Champa certainly had enough of being punched. They pulled back, panting from the exhaustion and looking almost equally worse for wear, but Beranise avoided taking as much punishment and dished it out, instead, much to Champa's further ire. She caught her breath faster, as well, not giving him time to do the same. With the next breath she took, she fired a weaker blast from her mouth, catching him off-guard and as he pulled his hands and one feet up to take it and block it, he barely squinted from behind his own hands, as he felt a fist across the face. The force of the attack pushed him out, but he immediately turned inwards with a wide, one-handed energy wave Beranise disappeared from, a second after it hit. With her whole body hurting and smoking from it, she appeared above Champa, right hand pulled back, who stopped his attack as soon as he saw her. She charged a blast and threw her right palm forward, releasing a cone-like spread-shot of sharp blasts that cut into Champa, drawing blood, all over his body, even as he braced himself, making him hiss in pain.

She prepared another of the same type of blast, but just before she could fire from her left palm, she had to catch Champa's right fist, instead; then, his left and they locked each other in with their arms crossed. Their heads were drawn so close, they both thought they might as well head-butt each other. Champa beat her to it, in the jaw, making her head snap back, but she returned it, in his forehead. In his position, Champa could not exactly get her back, given her height and Beranise slammed her forehead down on him, once more, nearly shattering his teeth and then, again, loosening his grip, until she got control. But, instead of breaking free, she started rapidly kneeing him in the stomach, as if she was pedaling. Champa was crying tears from his eyes and coughing blood from his mouth, as he let out a desperate howl, glowing with destructive energy he channeled into creating a dark-purple sphere between them that had black rings circling it, forcing Beranise off of him. "I'M GONNA...KILL YOU!" he screamed, as it bloated. "HA...KAAAI!"

Vados watched as the darkened skies bathed in the purple glow of the attack. Beranise only had a few paces between herself and it. She turned her palms outwards, slightly spreading her arms and feet, as purple energy surged in her hands. Placing both in front of her, she started pressing against all of the Destroyer's power, screaming as Champa was, as their ultimate struggle began. Neither one could actually see the other through the thickened mass of energy. A whirlpool of dark clouds formed above them and lightning, without rain, lashed around, striking them, to no effect, except making them scream and push harder.

On Sadala, not only Cabba, Renso and the Super Seven, but every soldier, every being in their entire galaxy, their _universe_, who could sense energy, felt the colossal power being unleashed. Martial artists of all kind of races, with even marginally developed higher senses stopped in their practice, standing in dojos, on cliffs, hills, fields, some, in the middle of a fight, monks looked up from their meditation as the feeling reverberated through them.

Hit was looking up at the peaceful, star-filled skyline of a developed, bustling metropolitan city, likely working on a contract, as he felt the power, remembering exactly who it belonged to and how far that person had come, since he first saw them. But, after seeing what Goku and the rest of the Saiyans were capable of, it did not surprise him.

Caulifla balled her fist as she sat on her throne and gritted her teeth, recalling the crazy woman, who attacked the Omni-Kings, before the tournament began. She gritted her teeth, in frustration, as her own power was worlds away from hers, even though it weakened a lot, since the fight started. Kale stood at her side, worriedly gazing in its general direction, feeling scared, especially seeing how agitated her friend was.

On the Namekian home-planet, while tending to their crops, Pirina and Saonel were, too, looking at the sky, surrounded by their people, who they restored after their own lives were given back, following their universe's resurrection.

Fuwa's snot-bubble burst and he shot up in his hammock, lost his balance in it and spun downward, falling out of it, flat on his face. He lifted it, forgetting all about his hurt nose, as he felt what the rest of the universe, those attuned to it, were feeling. The people of Kutidi, families and friends, warriors and farmers, guards and gardeners, even the criminals among them, huddled together, praying they were not living their last moments, as their planet had become the stage where the universal pecking-order would be forever changed.

"WHY...WON'T...YOU...DIEEEEE!?" Champa was giving everything he had, like he never thought he would ever need to, literally sweating blood from all the cuts on his body and just in the very moment he believed his attack would finally swallow his infernal enemy, it halted, then dissolved, bursting into purple embers the winds blew away. He tremblingly gaped in utter disbelief at Beranise, who floated, energy still gathering and pulsing in her hands, even after she overpowered his attack, as she looked at him with her violet eyes glowing in the blackness around them, while the violent weather was dying down. "H-How...?" Champa shakily whispered. "How...!?" Louder. "HOOOW!?" He demandingly screamed, balling and shaking his fists, like a child who could not have his way.

"You should've done your homework." Beranise said, referring to how he obviously did not even bother to ask for a showing of the Tournament of Power through another Angel's staff, as he could have. Then he would have known his Power of Destruction was not a fool-proof trump-card that automatically assured him victory. Champa's eyes slowly widened as the energy in Beranise's hands flared, while it engulfed her clenched fists and Champa realized, too late, that not only did she cancel out his attack, she was charging her own, all along. And that meant...she had more. More than him. She launched herself at him, with her fists pulled back, behind her. She thrust them forward and Champa could only feebly grab them, not even hoping his remaining strength will be enough to stop her, anymore, as in that moment, he knew it would not be. The energy instantly broke through, between his fingers and hands as Beranise fired the double waves, point-blank, pushing him along inside the blast. Champa screamed, streaking across the sky, like a purple comet that was oddly going with its tail forward, burning away, with his tears turning to steam and evaporating, soon followed by him and there was nothing left but his last cries the winds briefly still carried. The clouds stopped roiling and the winds their howling. Beranise had her hands extended, as she was leaning ahead, now in her normal state. She took a deep breath, then briefly dipped down, barely having the energy to keep herself in the air and started heavily panting as she slowly descended.

"W-what happened?" Kayen worriedly asked, not knowing what the sudden drop in Beranise's energy meant.

"Well, she's...still alive." Cabba stated the obvious. "I really don't think Lord Champa would just let her live like that. So that has to mean..." he trailed off, unable to tell for certain.

"She really beat a God..." Nori whispered, in astonishment.

"Incredible." Renso said. "But, I wonder..." Beranise touched the ground, falling on one knee, stood, but buckled, then, she got up, again, slowing her breathing. "What does that mean for her?" Beranise looked somewhat annoyed that the fight took more out of her than she thought it would and was frowning.

"You mean, what will happen to her?" Cabba asked Renso and Beranise heard a light tap behind her. Turning her head, to look from the corner of her eyes, she saw Vados landed behind her, hands behind her back. "What _could_ happen?" Cabba wondered.

"Congratulations." Vados told Beranise, sounding mildly impressed, but was not, at all, surprised with what happened. "I believe a change of attire will be in order, as soon as we return...to your palace, _Lord Beranise_." she said, at the same time, informing her of her new position and the latter's eyes narrowed.

_And so it was written by the hands of time. After a colossal battle that reshaped an entire planet, Beranise defeated and destroyed the Destroyer, Champa. The short-fused tyrannical deity would no longer threaten and end the existence of even innocent civilizations. His reign of terror was brought to an end by the rising power of a Saiyan, who already proved she was staying true to her promises. Vados even hailed the new God of Destruction, who did not look happy with her new title. But, how will Beranise fulfill her role as a Destroyer? If she even will! And how will the others react when they find out? Especially Lord Beerus! We will see, soon, on Dragon Ball Super! _


	4. Episode 03

**Episode 03**

**Plots and Plans **

Vados stood at the front of the Cube, piloting it, without any gestures, hands behind her back, while Beranise sat, cross-legged, in the middle. She had her eyes closed as she was seemingly concentrating on something and everyone other than her present company would have assumed she was meditating. Vados looked at her from the corner of her eyes, feeling she was doing a lot more than idly sitting or even meditating. She felt her intent, as Beranise made everything disappear around her, within her mind, leaving nothing except the two of them, which was, perhaps, easier, since it was literally only the two of them, in the middle of empty space that rushed by them.

_"She's trying to fight me, even now."_ Vados thought as Beranise was attacking her on a mental plane, simply by focusing on her presence and to Vados the sensation was almost akin to someone attempting a real assault. She kept making glances at Beranise's battered form, her initially narrowed eyes and squared jaw. Her expression was slowly softening the deeper she went into a different state and Vados was feeling similar changes in her to the ones they felt in Goku, during his fight with Jiren, as she recalled. She appeared to be impressed with the Saiyan woman's drive to immediately train and reach such advanced states of mind, right after she physically exhausted herself in a fight. It was a dedication and ability she had not seen, even with the fighters who became the current Destroyers, who have also acknowledged the exceptional skills they witnessed. Though it was not entirely surprising, given what all of the Saiyans have demonstrated during the tournament, particularly those from the 7th Universe, including Beranise. Vados found she had been musing on all of it, for the last minute, when her eyes widened, feeling almost certain Beranise was making a move and she turned her head to see she was still sitting, same as before. She slowly faced forward, again, with a barely visible frown.

...

Back on Earth, the small get-together was going on in the same fashion as before. Pan was quickly getting better at catching up to her father, with bursts of speed that surprised even the latter and he had to dodge out of the way. Bulla, from her mother's arms, was gleefully looking up at them, her eyes practically sparkling. Marron was also enjoying the show and cheering Pan on, as Beerus and Whis were glancing between them and the training Saiyans they were keeping an eye on. Gohan stopped and looked above them, along with Krillin, to see Piccolo arrived and was slowly descending, without his cape and turban.

"Piccoyo?" Pan noticed him, as well, tilting her little head.

"Hey, Piccolo!" Gohan greeted him with a smile. "You got tired of watching dad and Vegeta, huh?" he asked, knowing he had been near them. Pan settled on Piccolo's head and started playing with his antennae, again, which he wordlessly allowed.

"Heheh, more like you didn't wanna end up being wished back, after they started letting loose." Krillin told him and Piccolo groaned, then looked at Beerus and Whis.

"They should be tearing apart _his_ planet, instead." he muttered, folding his arms, as Pan played on, giggling. Beerus' ears moved.

"I heard that Namekian!" Beerus raised his voice. "So, you'd want them to destroy _my_ planet, instead?" He gave Piccolo a small glare, who unfolded his arms, jerking back a little, making Pan hold onto his antennae, but he instantly gained back his composure and with a slightly softer tone he replied.

"Yes, Lord Beerus." Piccolo earnestly told him and Beerus' eyes widened as he slightly gaped at him, lifting his head. Both Whis and Bulma stifled a laugh. Beerus frowned and laid his head back down.

"They won the tournament and now they suddenly think they can talk like that." he muttered, to himself and somewhat to Whis, then took a long sip from his drink, through a bendy-straw.

Goku and Vegeta were reshaping the landscape, here and there, whenever they brushed against the cliffs or the ground, as they fought each other to a stale-mate, once again. Their relatively friendly spar, even as both of them were Blue, had been merely a warm-up. They took a pause, leaping back from each other to stand on separate cliffs, panting.

"Now, Kakarot...!" Vegeta shook a fist at him. "Why don't you go ahead and use your Kaioken, then? For old-time's sake." he smirked, referring to their very first battle and Goku mirrored his expression.

"Oh-kay! You ask for it!" Goku replied and activated his technique, creating a reddish aura beneath his blue one and Vegeta grinned. He also powered up, assuming his new, strongest form, both his hair and eyes turning royal blue, befitting his title as a prince and finally being able to match Goku, even when the latter was using his Kaioken technique. It was no longer a trump-card. Not against him. And their smirking faces said they both knew. He charged and Goku met his fist with his own, halfway, blowing some dust and debris away as they clashed.

"Looks like they turned things up to the final notch." Gohan commented as they were standing at Whis' side, looking at the projection, while Pan was resting in her mother's arms.

"Hmph." Piccolo regarded them with his arms folded, not even finding it irritating anymore, that or the fact that they were not even using their full power when he left.

"Well…the final notch, at the moment, anyway." Gohan added, with a small smirk, the kind he usually only had during a fight. Whis nodded, while Beerus kept drinking with half an eye and half an ear to them, as all felt certain the full-blooded Saiyans would reach new heights.

Both Vegeta and Goku knew it would only be a matter of time before the latter's body could no longer sustain his technique, but Vegeta, wanting to beat his rival while he was still using all he had, was also pushing his own body, going for a proper victory he could be satisfied with. They were still fighting evenly, though, while neither of them could help but be reminded that against Jiren, all their power was still nothing.

_"Man...! And against Jiren, even this was not __**nearly**__ enough."_ Goku thought, as they briefly paused to catch their breath.

_"That bastard made a sport out of our complete power. Even against the two of us."_ Vegeta gritted his teeth, in anger as he thought about it and saw Goku was suddenly smirking.

"You're thinking about him, too, aren't ya?" Goku asked and Vegeta was briefly surprised, before he growled at him.

"Shut up!" he yelled and resumed his attack with more force than before, but Goku just smirked, knowing it would bring more out of him. It was as if both of them was fighting a different version of themselves, considering their personalities and fighting styles. What Whis told them about their own weaknesses was still true and yet they both found a way to improve, without changing much on the inside, without becoming different than what made them who they were. Even when both were at their absolute max, they met each other, block for block and hit for hit. No one, not even they, knew, if at one point, the whole thing stopped being a regular sparring session or not, as their dedication to aim higher blurred the lines of how far they would go to achieve what they knew was possible.

"You think…he's…doing the same right now?" Goku asked, after getting some breathing room.

"Hmph." Vegeta paused. "He'll regret it, if he's not!" he told him and resumed his attacks.

The possibility of Jiren, alone, also becoming stronger fueled them even more and broke whatever boundaries still remained in their imagination about what their mortal selves could be capable of, when it came to strength, especially compared to the Gods, all of who they were certain could be surpassed and dared to think even the Angels would not remain untouchable to them.

...

In the Cube, Vados kept her eyes on the vast emptiness ahead of them, but her mind was keenly aware of what was happening behind her, inside of Beranise's. Another jolt came from Beranise, but it felt different than all the others before. Vados slightly turned to see her hair was slightly lifted and flowing, as if it was being blown upwards and kept aloft by a subtle non-existent up-draft. Her breathing was more even.

...

"They've been already at it for longer than the tournament!" Gohan noted, impressed with their stamina, which had only improved since then. However, Vegeta could see Goku's was faltering faster than his and it made him disappointed, also angry. Goku was having more difficulty keeping pace with him, with standing up to his attacks and countering them with his own.

"Don't you dare give out on me, Kakarot!" Vegeta told him.

"I'm...hngh...not trying to!" Goku grunted, between blocking and attacking, less and less effectively. With every passing minute, more and more of Vegeta's attacks were getting through, as Goku was doing his outmost to maintain his form and technique, putting potentially fatal pressure on his body.

...

"Dad's in trouble." Gohan worriedly observed, as Krillin joined them. Bulma was leaning in, as well, with a curious Bulla, who saw her father was beating on an opponent. She reached towards his image, making cheering noises, which made her mother smile and giggle. Videl stayed further back with Pan, not wanting her to see her grandfather getting hurt.

...

Another one of Vegeta's vicious strikes broke through Goku's defense, followed by one more, which sent him spiraling back in the air. He stopped himself and attempted to retaliate, but halted, clutching his chest, as he sunk, gritting his teeth. His form kept flickering between his normal state and Blue, as the red aura of his Kaioken burned out. He reverted to normal, making Vegeta briefly stop in his rush, but then he immediately continued.

"Don't think I'll hold back!" he shouted and kept attacking a helpless Goku, who was unable to dodge any of his blows, given the difference in power and speed between their states. Vegeta mercilessly beat him and it was the same for both of them, in the tournament. No punches were pulled for the sake of the other, as they both knew it was the only way to train and gain.

At the same time, Vados finally felt a familiar shift in Beranise, whose hair started lifting even more, as she found her trigger.

Goku was being beaten into that proverbial corner, again and his only hope of escaping Vegeta's unending assault was to shed his limits and break through the shell that was keeping his potential at bay, as he did against Jiren. He closed his eyes, as he felt his body being broken and let go of the pain, the world around them, of strategy, of any thought that was not of himself and the fight, all of which only held him back. The pain slowly dulled, as everything else, too, dimmed around him, until there was nothing but him and his opponent and the fight he had to turn around by gaining control of it.

At the very moment Vados turned to look at her, Beranise slowly opened her silver eyes, as her hair was almost standing the same way it was when she broke out of the pocket dimension. Vados could not tell if she was going to attack her, in the next split second, or not.

Goku went slack and his head hung as Vegeta hammered down in him, only to be blocked by Goku's knee, who was already upside down, when Vegeta even noticed what happened. He felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, before he got a boot to the side of his neck, from Goku's other leg kicking him down, with unbelievable force. Vegeta did not even know when the first hit came, as he nearly became buried in the dry, cracked ground, barely being able to stop himself. He still landed hard on one knee and looked up to find Goku gone. At Capsule Corp HQ, Whis, Beerus, Gohan, Piccolo and Krillim were glued to the projected screen. Bulma slowly pulled away with Bulla, for the same reason Videl did with Pan.

On his own instinct and by recalling all the instances Goku could awaken the state, Vegeta whipped around with a fist that only struck a mirage of Goku's face, as the latter moved next to him, with another fist in his stomach. Vegeta staggered back, clutching the spot, as he experienced, first-hand, the power that could more than match Jiren's monstrous strength. He was not going to let it stop him and with a left foot, kicked at Goku, from the side, but he seemingly stepped right through it and into his personal space, as Vegeta was still on one leg, while the other one was extended. At the same time he pulled it back, he fired an energy blast at Goku, with his right hand, jumping backwards, trying hard not to even come close to blinking. But, Goku still briefly disappeared from his sight, regardless of his efforts and blind-sided him with a punch to the side. To Vegeta's credit, he still managed to instantly muster enough willpower to immediately try and retaliate, as ineffective as his attacks were and as injured as he was, not failing to notice how their situation was reversed. Even just the imperfect form of Ultra Instict was enough to bridge the gap between Goku's normal state and his own strongest form and far surpass it. Vegeta gritted his teeth as blood ran from the side of his mouth, as he slid back, on his feet, from another effortless counter by Goku, whose glaring silver eyes glowed in the white aura that surrounded him. He lost a lot of energy and felt he could barely keep his form and reverted back to plain Blue.

_"And this is only a weaker form."_ Vegeta angrily reminded himself. Goku stared him down and Vegeta saw his eyes rapidly change back and forth, before Goku snapped out of it, staggering forward. "What happened, Kakarot!?" Vegeta practically demanded to know why he lost control of the state and Goku looked as clueless as him.

"I...I don't know..." Goku looked at his hands, feeling the pain and fatigue hit him like a wave, but he barely showed it as he turned to Vegeta, seeing the state he was in. "Hey, eh-heh-heh, you took some of that better than Jiren, I think." he smilingly told him, which made Vegeta scoff at him, having no need of his praise.

"Hmph." Vegeta turned away, reverting to normal and could see Goku was feeling the damage. "We're done, here..." he said, turning away and looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "For now." he added and took flight.

"Yeah, I don't think I could take another hit." Goku commented and flew after him, putting a quick end to their session.

Vados could not decide whether Beranise was staring straight into her eyes or through her. Either deeper within her or just into space. The silver from her eyes suddenly flickered out and her hair fell back down, as she blinked in momentary confusion, before gritting her teeth into a growl. Her eyes definitely found Vados' then and the latter faced forward, again.

"We have almost arrived." she noted and Beranise's face twitched, once, from annoyance, at her lack of success and that she did not have more time. But, she let go of it, for now and got to her feet, folding her arms, without saying a word and saw the palace was quickly drawing near. They became a dot, as they disappeared into the domain of the former Destroyer, which now belonged to Beranise.

...

"I believe they've both made some progress, in that session." Whis commented, with a small smile, switching off the projection from his staff. "I _would_ say it will still be some time before Goku could truly enter, even the weaker form, of the state willingly. However...at the rate at which he has been progressing, it may happen even sooner." he noted and Beerus' eyes slightly narrowed. He felt Goku's power, multiplied by his Kaioken, was already annoyingly close to his own, even at the tournament he and his brother held. If he learned to tap into even just the weaker form of Ultra Instict, he would quickly surpass him. The completed version he reached, towards the very end of the tournament, would have allowed him to take on any of the Gods. And Beranise already came dangerously close to landing hits on even an Angel, something none of them had ever seen before.

"The way the difference in power just disappeared like that is amazing!" Gohan exclaimed. "Dad completely broke Jiren with the complete form and from the way Lord Velmod talked about his strength, Jiren is a lot stronger than him. So, that means...if dad can master it, he could probably fight _any_ of the Gods." he voiced the same thoughts Beerus had, which annoyed the latter even more and he sipped the rest of his drink nearly biting the straw off as he was gritting his teeth.

"It would certainly make him a runner-up among them, at the very least." Whis said, in response to Gohan, purposefully not wanting to outright confirm where exactly his father would be on the power-scale. Piccolo almost imperceptibly narrowed his eyes, as if he was able to tell Gohan's prediction might have been closer to the truth than what Whis wanted them to believe.

"I wonder if I can ever get to that level." Gohan looked at himself, raising a hand. "I disappointed myself and everyone else, enough times, not to go for it." he lamented, clenching his fist.

"Gohan…" Videl wanted him stop beating himself up, even if he only did so now and again.

"I got my power back and if there's more to gain, then I gotta go for it, if I wanna make sure I'm up for any challenge, like dad and Vegeta." he stated.

"Time and effort will tell." Whis somberly noted.

...

Beranise was silently walking behind Vados, heading inside the palace, through the large parting gates. They entered the dining room, where Vados halted, looking on in mild surprise, when she saw her staff laid on the table with a small note next to it. She went, picked it up and took but a second to read the greeting and signature on it.

"It's from the Grand Priest. He finished the repairs on my staff." she said as she picked it up from the table.

"How convenient." Beranise muttered. "It's like he knew we'd be back, soon. And I mean _we_." she emphasized the two of them.

"Oh? You believe he already knows you've taken Champa's place?" Vados found her suspicions somewhat amusing. "Perhaps. But, you may surprise everyone, including him. He is not all-seeing, despite what you expect. He only sees what he wants _when_ he wants to. Same as us, with our staffs." Vados immediately showed a projection, as an example, while she spoke. "We can see anything, anywhere, even anytime in the past, but only specifically what we want. Or what we want to show to someone else." Beranise saw it was her fight with Champa, as if it was a recording being played back.

"So...I can even watch the whole tournament with this, then?" Beranise asked, without even looking at Vados, the entire time.

"If you want." Vados nodded.

"Then start it and leave it here." Beranise told her, still without looking at her.

"We should change your attire, first and heal-..."

"Just leave the damn thing on and leave me alone!" Beranise cut her reminder off, glaring up at her and Vados had the faintest frown as she turned to leave, leaving the staff with her, which started a rerun of the Tournament of Power.

"As you wish." Vados said, closing her eyes, hands behind her back, as she walked away.

"And turn these damn lights off!" Beranise called after her, as she was in the wide doorway.

"They are candles." Vados pointed out. "They don't have a switch." She barely finished her second sentence, when she heard an energy blast, then the chandeliers shatter and rain down. She turned around, in the dark room, to see Beranise settle in the chair, as she watched the very first moments of the Tournament, at the head of the table, the top of which was littered with shards that reflected the glow from the projection. Vados left the room, closing her eyes, again.

...

In the 9th Universe, Roh and Sidra the Destroyer, were plotting, in the latter's palace, in the same fashion as before, when they sent a small army of hitmen against Goku, armed with a small fraction of the power of Destruction, personally entrusted to one of them by Sidra.

"We may have another chance to exact revenge on that pesky Goku, My Lord." Roh was saying. "Mojito has shown me something _very_ interesting, in their Earth's history."

"What is it?" Sidra prompted him to explain, as he sat on his throne with Roh in front of him.

"Remember that other guy, Frieza, My Lord? He was quite comfortable with the thought of betraying his own universe _and_ he could even break free from _your_ power." Sidra glared. "Eh...respectfully, Sir." Roh quickly added. "And during the tournament he was quite a force to be reckoned with. He seems to have a natural ability, very much like that Goku, to improve incredibly fast. He reached that Golden form of his, in a matter of months, as we've learned and he managed to get even stronger, all the while being cocooned and hung from a tree." Sidra raised a brow at that. "In hell." Roh clarified.

"And? He was only brought back from death to compete in the Tournament. We cannot possibly reach out to him, now." Sidra recalled.

"Oh, but he has been revived, My Lord!" Sidra was surprised. "It was his prize for...proving himself." Roh explained, as he understood. "Our spies, in the 7th Universe, tell us he has taken command of his old forces, again and is back to doing...whatever he was known for." He dismissively waved. "But, he is no longer important."

"Then why are you even telling me all this?" Sidra did not understand.

"Well, here's the interesting part. There was a scientist, on their planet Earth, who also had a certain hatred for this Goku. He created a creature by fusing the cells from a number of different, extraordinary fighters, such as Goku and even Frieza. This Cell, as he was called, was far stronger than Frieza, at one time and even defeated Goku, once. Granted, he wasn't anywhere near the level of power he has now, but you see, My Lord, if Frieza has the ability to improve so much, in such a short time, this Cell could very well surpass his level of power." Sidra leaned forward, taking interest. "After all, if he has his very cells, then he should also have the potential, even beyond what his creator intended. We need only to bring him back. And in return, I'm sure he would be more than happy to...settle some old scores." he pitched his idea.

"And how would we bring him back?" Sidra asked.

"Our spies tell of a device they use to find the Dragon Balls that are scattered around their Earth. But, it can also find the Super Dragon Balls, as well." he rubbed his palms. "I have it on…eh, good authority. Lord Champa likes to gossip, you see." he said as an aside. "Our men simply have to steal this device, locate all of the Super Dragon Balls, then I will speak to the dragon, in its language, myself. I'm sure I can learn it in short time." he waved a hand. "We'll wish this Cell creature back. Then I'll bring him here where he can train. And when he's ready, we can set him loose on their planet, then their entire universe!" Roh maniacally exclaimed. Sidra deliberated for a few seconds, weighing any other possible options, of which there were none and nodded.

"Very well. We shall see if this Cell can get rid of Goku for us." Sidra stated.

"Oh, I wouldn't mind if he'd deal with that insolent woman along the way, as well." Roh devilishly grinned, rubbing his palms together, as he remembered Beranise's disrespect towards them.

"I don't have to remind you we have to be careful the Omni-Kings do not learn of this. Or we'll be punished." Sidra reminded him, nonetheless. "And it'll be just us, this time. Even Quitela wouldn't dare to try something like this. Unless he had someone to take the fall, like he tried with _us_."

"Yes, My Lord." Roh bowed, fully aware. "Shall I, then?" He looked up at him, still bowing.

"Go!" Sidra nodded and Roh eagerly went to carry out his plan.

Mojito stood on the other side of the door, out of sight, slightly shaking his head with a small smile, laughing at them on the inside and at their possible fate.

...

In the Palace of the Omni-Kings, the two of them were bored, again, as they sat in their tall thrones, speaking to the Grand Priest, flanked by their guards.

"How may I be of service today, Your Sires?" he asked them, after bowing.

"We are bored."

"Yes, very bored."

"So, we were thinking."

"Yes, thinking the same thing."

"We want to have a party!" the Grand Priest showed no surprise.

"Yes! A very _big_ party!" Nor concern.

"We want to invite _everyone_ from the tournament!" the first said.

"Yes! All of those strong fighters from the tournament!" the second repeated, again.

"That is a splendid idea, Your Sires!" The Grand Priest said, hands behind his back. "And when shall we have this reunion?" he asked and the Zenos exchanged looks.

"Uh..."

"Uh..." They looked at each other and one of them looked at the Grand Priest. "Today?"

"Yes. Today." The other leaned forward, settling it.

"Very well. Today it shall be." the Grand Priest nodded. "Will the afternoon be alright? That should give the universes enough time to gather all of the warriors who have competed, on such short notice." he explained.

"Okay." one Zeno nodded, understanding why it could not happen immediately.

"That's okay." The other, as well.

"Very good, Sires!" the Grand Priest bowed. "I shall make the preparations and let all universes know." He turned and vanished with a bow.

...

"What're we supposed to do, _now_?" Shoga impatiently asked, as they could not tell what happened.

"Where'd she even go?" Kurogo asked as Kayen looked distraught.

"Away." Shirogo stated what they all felt.

"But, _where_?" her sister raised her voice at her.

"Is she even coming back?" Nori asked and Kayen worried Beranise would not.

"She will." Cabba stated and Kayen looked at him. "I know she's not going to abandon training any of you, I'm sure of it." He felt certain Beranise was too serious about building a strong force that could battle even the Angels to leave her most promising fighters behind.

"He's right." Kayen's asserted herself. "She won't quit on us and we won't quit either." she stated.

"You're sure you're not just in deni-…" Pinch started to semi-seriously tease her.

"Shut up!" she defensively cut her off. "You're with _me!_ Now, let's get back to training!" Kayen told all of them and they changed the pair-ups, before resuming their practice. She was with Pinch. The sisters were against Perille and Nori remained with Shoga, as Cabba and Renso watched them carry on. They felt a strange, yet familiar energy appear behind them and turned to see Fuwa was standing at the top of the tall flight of stairs, leading up to a large square, where the barracks was. He looked around, in panic and spotted them, then made a hasty dash, down the stairs, tripping and tumbling all the way to them, making them wince with every hit, before he sprawled out in front of them, belly-up.

"Supreme Kai!" Cabba went to help him up, as Fuwa nursed his head and looked up at him.

"Oh, Cabba! Thank goodness!" he exclaimed in relief. "Maybe you can tell me what's going on! I felt a terrible power! And so familiar! But, I don't know what it means and I cannot seem to find Lord Champa or contact Miss Vados, at all. Oh, I feel like something bad has happened!" He held his head.

"You…don't know?" Cabba asked.

"Don't…know what?" Fuwa slowly asked, not liking where the conversation was going.

…

The few brave Kutidians, who slowly ventured outside, after the weather calmed down, were picking at the wreck of Champa's ship, taking it apart with curiosity and studying the metal. Those in the farther, less populated regions, watched from the top of cliffs how the landscape had changed. Diverted rivers, some freed from underground, flowed where they have not before, into new lakes. Some pooled, creating rainbows with the mist, at the foot of waterfalls that formed at the edges of canyons and chasms that sprang from the destruction. None of it seemed to give the impression of a weeping planet, but the opposite, as its inhabitants seemed to marvel at it, along with the wildlife that tentatively came out of hiding to quench their thirst and start nesting where they could not before.

…

Beranise was watching the last moments before the 6th Universe was erased, seeing how Vados mockingly feigned her sorrow and tears, as she already moved to sit with her brother and the fighters of the 7th Universe, to Champa's annoyance. She gritted her teeth, in anger, at her act and clenched a fist, while the other threatened to snap the staff in half, again, as she glared at Vados' image. Then more than ever before, she swore the Angels and their Omni-Kings would pay for treating them like toys they could just discard. They pretend to care and even mentor them. Lead them on, along with the ones who become Gods. And when their masters feel like it, they erase them, as if they never existed at all. She would have asked Vados how she and the other Angels would feel if their own existence could so easily come to an end. If it was ever even just threatened? But, she was going to find out, for herself, she thought, when she will be strong enough.

_With even more hatred against the Omni-Kings and the Angels, Beranise had practically assumed her position as the 6__th__ Universe's Destroyer, as the other Saiyans also continued to train, already improving, but every one of them unaware of the sinister plans of the 9__th__ Universe's Supreme Kai and its Destroyer to revive another old enemy, who they hoped would do their bidding. But, can they really bring Cell back to life from the Hell of the 7__th__ Universe? How will they even steal the Dragon Radar, unnoticed? And what will happen when all the universes that fought in the Tournament of Power meet again, so soon? Join the unexpected reunion, next time, on Dragon Ball Super! _


	5. Episode 04

**Episode 04**

**Detour **

Vados stood outside Beranise's personal quarters, the same one she stayed in, when she was a guest. She outright detested the Destroyers' equivalent of a luxurious, spacious, over-furnished, over-decorated suite that was Champa's room and have turned it into rubble. Nor could she stand most of the jewelry that came with the life-style.

"I'm not keeping all this gold on!" Beranise yelled from inside.

"They are traditional accessories of a Destroyer." Vados replied.

"Says _who_? Your Lord Zenos? They're magpies or something?" Beranise mockingly argued with her. There was a few seconds of silence, before she spoke again. "The rings are fine, I guess! But, I'm not wearing these bracelet-things! They look way too big on my wrists!"

"You know I could just use my staff to suit you, in any way you desire." Vados said. "However, it has been behaving oddly, since it was returned to me." she noted, lifting and glancing at her staff.

"Whatever! I don't need your help getting dressed!" Beranise scornfully told her. "It's annoying enough we have to go to some party!"

"It _is_ on rather short notice." Vados admitted. "Fortunately, the Supreme Kai now has more experience gathering all who have competed. It shouldn't take long for everyone to prepare."

"We're gonna go to my universe, first." Beranise stated, slowly walking out of the room to reveal her new look. On her torso, she wore a bare-midriff, still sleeveless version of her black body suit, without the chest-armor, exposing her chiseled abs, over which was draped the collar that Destroyers wore around their neck, with purple accents, instead of Champa's red ones and she had golden rings around her upper-arms, but no bangles on her forearms, keeping her fingerless gloves, without the forearm-guards. She switched to the same loose pants worn by other Gods, in pale-purple, with a dark-purple sash, a tasset that was unaltered and her tail was free. She kept her usual dark-purple boots that now had golden rings above the ankles.

"For what purpose, My Lord?" Vados asked.

"For whatever the hell I want!" Beranise looked pointedly at her. "And I told you to knock it off with that _Lord_ crap! I'm not a Destroyer and I never will be!" She let out the rest of the air she had, calming herself and walked past her. "I wanna tell Beerus what happened, so there won't be any nasty surprises at the party." she answered.

"Deciding to be upfront about it, then, I see." Vados was not sure if she was going to be. "I will contact my brother to see if they are at Lord Beerus' palace or elsewhere."

...

Whis and Beerus were still relaxing on the balcony at Capsule Corp HQ, when the former's staff started flashing, signaling an incoming communique. He was greeted by her sister's smiling face.

"Greetings, dear brother." Vados said.

"Why, hello dear sister! I see your staff has been repaired." Whis stated the obvious.

"Indeed." Vados replied.

"How have you been?" Whis attempted some courteous small-talk.

"Same as always." Vados gave the answer she actually could and at the same time, all that she cared to give him.

"To what do I owe your call, then?" Whis asked.

"I merely wanted to know your and Lord Beerus' whereabouts, whether you were at the palace or perhaps on Earth." She could see behind him. "I can see it is the latter." she noted. "Have you gathered everyone for the Grand Leaders' event?"

"All...except Android 17 and Frieza, of course." Whis turned to look at all who have joined them on, as they were conversing between one another. "We decided not to waste the time and effort to track him down." Whis said. "And 17 said he is too preoccupied with his work. I'm sure His Lordships will understand."

"What a coincidence." Vados said with mild sarcasm. "I don't believe Frost will be attending, either." Vados said, as Frost went into hiding, again, after being revived with the rest.

"I suppose not." Whis recalled what happened, as well.

"Also, we will be stopping by your Earth, before we depart." she added and Whis raised a brow. "Until then." Before he could ask for her reasons Vados hung up.

"So, why are they coming?" Beerus looked at him, as he lied next to him, from the corner of one eye, while the other was shut. "What's my brother up to, now?" he muttered.

"She did not say." Whis noted. "Hmm..." he wondered why.

...

"You could've told him." Beranise had her arms folded as she stood in front of Vados.

"I thought you wanted to personally break Lord Beerus the news. I did not want to ruin the surprise." Vados said with some coyness and Beranise just unfolded her arms, looking at her with a subtle glare.

She already noticed how Vados found some amusement in playing the brothers against each other or from simply keeping information to herself that negatively impacted others, so they would find out at the worst possible moment. While some of it was with the intention of teaching, such as when she intentionally did not tell her how she could move around in the staff's pocket dimension, as part of her training, others instances clearly showed a mischievous side to her that was oddly in contrast with the lack of emotion and care she actually displayed towards mortals.

"Shall we leave, then?" Vados asked.

"Is Fuwa bringing everyone here?" Beranise asked to make sure.

"As instructed, yes." Vados confirmed.

"And you didn't tell _him_ about me, either?" Beranise suspected.

"I have not." Vados said. "He is still under the impression the orders are coming from Champa himself. And if he were to know the truth, he would likely fold, if he was directly questioned…by Lord Beerus. Or by anyone, for that matter." she said, to the side, having a low opinion of the Supreme Kai's bravery. "However, those who know where you went may very well suspect you have taken Champa's place."

"He's not even _lord_, anymore, now, that he's literally in the wind, huh." Beranise noticed Vados' lack of use of the title. "He was just another pawn who was fun until he wasn't strong enough, right?" She folded her arms. "So, why should you and the Zenos care he's gone?" she asked Vados, rhetorically, who did not look like she was even going to reply, when Beranise unfolded her arms and pointed an index-finger at her. "Shut up!" Vados raised a brow.

"I was not going to say anything." Vados stated.

"Good! Then let's go, already!" Beranise put her hands on her hips. "Not that I care if we're late." she muttered.

"We should be comfortably back in time for the departure." Vados noted, standing next to her. After a few seconds passed without either of them moving, she cleared her throat, glancing at Beranise, who was reminded she needed to hold onto her, which she begrudgingly did, pulling at the fabric of her robe, on her wrist, which Vados found rude, but unsurprising and they vanished in a pillar of light.

...

"Hmm..." Heles was applying her red lipstick, sitting on her throne, as she was looking at herself in a hand-mirror she handed off to a servant, while her Attendant, Sour, stood by her side. "I'm curious to see that man, Goku, again. He's a fine specimen, indeed." She daydreamed, leaning on one elbow and rested her chin in her hand. "So is that shorter one…" she referred to Vegeta. "But I don't find his personality very beautiful." he dismissively waved a hand. "Though, I suppose our universe, along with the others, owes them our existence." she admitted.

...

"It will be interesting to see the other universes, again; especially the 7th, will it not?" Marcarita smilingly asked Velmod, who was sitting almost in the same way, on his throne, as Heles was, but with his head propped up, at the side, by his knuckle and he slouched, his mouth sloping into a frown.

"I guess..." he muttered. "I just hope Jiren and Toppo can behave 'emselves and not start a fight. Ah, heck, who am I kiddin'?" He did a single flap with his free hand. "For all I know, Lord Zeno would love it!" he exclaimed, shrugging with the same hand. "Both of 'em." he muttered, with some tiredness, as he have been planning to retire and now there were two Omni-Kings they could all expect summons from, making their job potentially more nerve-wrecking than it needed to be.

...

"Hrr...now we're gonna have to listen to Beerus brag about his universe winning the tournament." Quitela grumbled, leaning back in the pillowed globe-chair that was his throne, arms folded, as he frowned at the warriors gathered in the room, some of who looked anxious, while others were as annoyed as him. "And watch that pesky Goku guy cozy up to His Lordships! The nerve!"

...

"Hmmm...this invitation could turn out to be most fortuitous." Roh mused. "While their strongest warriors are away from their planet Earth, our spies can easily get that locator device. It will be even easier than I thought." He sinisterly laughed to himself, a little too overdramatically, in front of Sidra, who gave him a glare that made Roh clear his throat and go quiet.

...

"So, how's the school going, Tien? Since that mishap, I mean." Gohan asked him.

"Even better since then, actually. It was like a free advertisement for us." Tien smiled.

"That's good to hear." Gohan was happy for him.

"So, uh..." Videl started, with Pan in her hands. "Is there like, you know...anyone there, who might be...better than the rest?"

"You mean someone like us?" Tien understood her. "No. Or, at least, not yet." he shrugged.

"Fighters like yourselves are few and far between, you know." Master Roshi said as he walked over. "Well..." he stopped. "At least, on this planet." he added. 18 overheard them, as Krillin watched Chiaotzu entertain Marron.

"Do you think Marron can be like that?" she asked, stepping up to them, arms folded and they were somewhat surprised by her query.

"Well..." Gohan started. "I don't think we can be sure." he lightly shrugged. "You and Krillin having above normal power might not be a guarantee she'll be the same." he answered as best he could and they looked at Marron, who was laughing at the mime act Chiaotzu was doing.

"Where _are_ those two?" Bulma impatiently asked, arms folded, standing with Chi-Chi, as Vegeta and Goku were still cleaning themselves up for the occasion.

"At least they won't show up looking like cavemen, this time." Chi-Chi stated, hands on her hips.

"Lord Champa and my sister should be arriving any minute now." Whis notified Beerus, as he joined him, as the former was leaning against the handrail of the balcony, arms folded, looking somewhat nervous. "Worried about the meeting, My Lord?" Whis slightly smiled, knowing he had to be. Every God was, no matter how passive of a facade they showed or how candidly they spoke and behaved, when they were summoned by the Omni-Kings, now plural, all of them were on edge.

"It's not just that." Beerus whispered.

"Hm?" Whis cocked his head.

"Something's off." Beerus could not put his finger on what he was feeling.

"Another _premonition_, Lord Beerus?" Whis still teased him and Beerus let out a low growl at him.

...

A light shot towards Earth, plunging through the atmosphere and clouds, but instead of arriving at the Capsule Corp HQ they were familiar with, Beranise and Vados found themselves in a slightly different setting. The balcony they were on, was part of a larger pent-house, with white walls, tinted windows, in a city that looked more futuristic, with blimps slowly moving in the sky, showing commercials on large flat-screens. They stood in front of a surprised businessman, with swept back blue-hair, white suit, who looked like a male-version of Bulma with a round-stash. He blinked at them, strangely.

"Uh..." Beranise mirrored his expression. "Who the hell are _you_?" she asked, in utter confusion.

"I feel like I'm more entitled to that question." he stated, trying to be a smart-ass about it and Beranise fixed him with a glare. "Fine, fine. The name's Breech Briefs, head of Briefs Enterprises and you, eh...exotic ladies are...?" he charmingly asked, annoyingly quickly acclimating to the situation.

"Not...where we should be." Beranise turned to Vados as she said it, who looked at her.

"We should have arrived at Lady Bulma's house. I do not know what happened. It seems we have accidentally crossed into a parallel universe, where certain things are different." Vados inspected her staff and their position.

"Parallel universe?" the man repeated. "Oh wow, I think I might've had a bit too much to drink." he feared. "Either that or I've drawn ladies to me from a whole other dimension." He was more ready to believe that, smoothing his hair back.

"I wanna punch him in the face." Beranise muttered, not feeling his charm.

"Please, refrain from doing so. I haven not determined the cause of our derailment." Vados told Beranise.

"Ms. Planter!" he shouted to someone on the inside. "Cancel my lunch meeting, please!"

"Well, _determine_ it faster!" Beranise told her. "Or just get us outta here. Maybe it was a random bug or something." She folded her arms, shrugging.

"Bug?" Vados arced a brow.

"Just get on with it!" Beranise yelled.

"As you wish." Vados said and transported them, again, leaving the man there.

"I need even _more_ vacations." The man muttered, as he stared up in the sky, after them.

...

Beranise and Vados touched down, again, in a city that was...not a city, but a village. A primeval one, at that. Huts as far as they could see, with fires burning near them, surrounded by a jungle. The hairy men and women, in their animal-pelts froze to stare at them, clubs and spears in hand.

"_**What**_ is going on!?" Beranise exclaimed, as they were clearly not where they wanted to be.

"Seems to be another _bug_." Vados checked her staff, again. Beranise noticed some of the primitives were staring at her agitated tail, which she promptly wrapped around her waist.

"Well, _we_ gotta bug out!" she told Vados.

"With better luck, hopefully." Vados said and moved them, once more, going up and back down.

...

"Uh...this is...better." Beranise said, looking at a group of warrior women, of different races, all in fur and leather armor, with metal plates on their shoulders and tassets, armed with drawn swords of all sizes, shields, spears and bows, standing in the middle of an oasis-like desert-city, with stone buildings. The women parted and several men, of all races, marched forward, parting, again to make way for the largest of them. A bare-chested man, with long brown hair, built like a modern-day body-builder walked forth, wearing leather boots and bracelets, with a breechclout wrapped around his waist to cover his private parts. "Aaand it's ruined..." Beranise's pleased expression deflated at the eyesore.

"Shall we go?" Vados asked.

"What do _you_ think?" Beranise rhetorically retorted and they were off, leaving the men and women stunned, but the one man, who seemed to be the leader, looked up into the sky, after them, unfazed, as if he had seen far stranger things.

...

"Where are they, Whis?" Beerus asked, getting impatient.

"I am as puzzled as you are, My Lord. They should've arrived by now and I cannot seem to reach my sister, at all." Whis noted as he tried to call her with his staff.

...

Beranise and Vados appeared above a vast, grey city. A concrete jungle, this time. Much bigger than any Beranise had seen on the Earth she knew, stretching towards the horizon, in every direction.

"Doesn't look like any city I've seen." Beranise commented, seeing the style of the architecture, feeling as though they were in a completely different world. The whole city shook, the heavy traffic stopped, even where there were no congestions to begin with and the people froze, before panic broke out, as some unseen threat tore through the streets, between the high buildings. Half a dozen giant dinosaurs came stomping over vehicles and through apartments. Suddenly, one of them skidded to a halt and spoke.

"This human-infested world will finally know our might!" It clenched its tiny hands. "Go forth brothers and rampage across their lands!" It commanded the others, who trudged on, destroying everything and Beranise stared at the verbose reptilian. "We will rule this planet, once more!"

"Our Earth or not, I gotta deal with these, eh, _guys_, before they do more damage." Beranise muttered.

"A tad hypocritical of you." Vados said, considering what Beranise's fight with Champa did to the planet they fought on, even though it turned out to be a boon, unbeknownst to them.

"What was that!?" Beranise turned to her.

"Nothing..." Vados said and Beranise faced away from her, towards the monsters. "My Lord." Vados added and Beranise slowly glared at her from the corner of her eyes. She flew down, surprising one of the beasts with a fist in its sizable jaw that was enough to make it sit on its behind, dazed.

"They can take a punch." Beranise noted, remembering the three giant Saiyan apes she had to deal with and turned Super Saiyan 4, just before one of the giant lizards lurched towards her. She rammed it, slamming it into another, then vanished from the swipe of a third, reappeared above it and cracked its skull open with a drop-kick, making it fall over, dead. A forth tried to roast her with its fiery breath, but Beranise moved in close, from below, with an uppercut to its stomach, making its eyes bulge out, then, they completely burst when she drove its jaw up into its brain wit han uppercut. One was still dazed, two were rolling to their feet and one leapt, trying to jump on her, but to its shock, Beranise caught it, so it would not cause an earthquake and level several blocks. She flew along with it, getting some speed, before she dropped it at the two that just got up and they collapsed into a heap, doing much less damage to the surrounding area than they otherwise would have. Beranise dashed above the lone one and hammered down on its head, caving it in, then quickly moved onto the remaining three, but a horde of small, raptor-like creatures, kin to the larger ones, started stampeding on the streets, pouring out of freshly dug caverns.

"There is no stopping us!" The leader roared, still trying to stand. "We are legion! We are-...!" Beranise ricocheted between their faces, a few times, smashing all three of them in, more with every hit and they slowly slumped over, like timber, their razor teeth, cheeks, nose, all broken to pieces. She turned to the rushing tide of tiny terrors and knew punching them all out would take too long. So she began blasting them, from higher up, rapidly thinning their numbers, but also causing more panic. Many people thought she was attacking the city, too, as there were barely any reptiles left to hit, but Beranise kept catching them with her shots, with some missing and hitting buildings. After a minute, she was convinced she got all of them and could see no more, while the citizens were still fleeing from the location, thinking she was out to destroy them.

Suddenly, she saw an entirely ordinary-looking human, apart from the way he was dressed, appear from the corner of her eyes, wearing red gloves and boots, over a yellow jumpsuit. A white cape flapped from his shoulder and the sun reflected from his bald head. His fist connected with her face, while there was utter boredom on his own.

"At least, I got here first, this time." he muttered to himself, expressionlessly, but it soon changed to surprise when Beranise did not even budge an inch as his fist was still embedded in her cheek and she gave him half a glare, before slapping him. It sent him crashing into a multi-story building, where he got stuck, with his head and body lodged in the concrete wall.

"If that was supposed to be a love-tap, you're barking up the wrong tree, baldy." Beranise brushed a finger across her cheek. "Who the hell was _that_ guy?" she quietly asked, no one in particular, looking at the man's limbs sticking out. "Kinda looks like Gohan with that weird get-up." she mumbled to herself.

"Are you _done_?" Vados floated down from above, peering into her staff. "I am, now, positive we are in an entirely different parallel Earth that does not seem to belong to any of the existing universes. Same as the last one, I might add."

"Huh? That doesn't even make sense!" Beranise exclaimed. "It belongs _somewhere_! Otherwise, what did I just punch?" She looked towards the rubble her attacker was lying in, staring up at them.

"I am at a loss." Vados stated, glancing at the man.

"That's a first, Miss Know-It-All." Beranise muttered, folding her arms.

"The odd behavior of my staff could very well be the result of _your_ doing, _My Lord_. It has been acting up, since the repairs, after _you_ broke it." Vados told her, emphasizing every reference to her. The caped, bald man looked between them, in awe, far too impressed that his attack failed, to sense the tension between the two, as they carried on.

"And whose fault is _that_? You trapped me in there!" Beranise yelled and Vados actually looked a little taken aback.

"I beg your pardon, but was it not your _plan_ to manipulate me into doing exactly that, so you could use the time inside to grow stronger?" Vados reminded her.

"Well, I didn't know when I was gonna get out!" Beranise threw her hands up, then folded them. "Or how long you were gonna keep me in there! For all I know, you wouldn't've let me out, at all!" she replied and the man could just make out their voices at the distance they were at.

"In hindsight, that may have been preferable." Vados commented.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Is Miss Stoic getting all huffy?" Beranise' mocking voice reached him, as he smiled, with joyful eyes and his mouth agape, at the amazingly strong beings that were having an argument in front of him.

"Not even Champa was this bad at shifting blame." Vados shot back and the man looked from her to Beranise.

"Oh, yeah!? Maybe we can hit up some of those timelines, where he's still alive and get you a dozen of him! How does that sounds, huh?" Beranise had her hands on her hips.

"I'll pass." Vados closed her eyes and turned to face away from her.

"Good!" Beranise snidely said. "You can get us outta here, while you're at it!" she added and Vados' lips twitched into a scowl, as she held her staff closer to peer into its orb. The bald-headed man's attention caught some movement on the ground and he squinted to see an ash-blonde, young man with a cybernetic body and unnatural yellow eyes was sizing up the two women, analyzing them.

"Well...?" Beranise impatiently got behind Vados as the new challenger crouched and thrusters opened up on his limbs and back that spewed flames and the bald man cocked his head with some worry.

"I believe I may have something." Vados told Beranise.

"Then let's go, already!" Beranise grabbed the staff. Vados frowned at her from the corner of her eyes and as the cyborg launched himself in the air, towards them, they vanished in a brilliant pillar of light, making his attack hit empty air. He fell back to the ground, looking up and around, as he tried to make sense of the situation and the bald man let out a sigh of relief that the other man could not engage either beings in battle. He knew it would not have ended well for him.

...

"We cannot wait any longer, I'm afraid." Whis was telling Beerus and the others, including Supreme Kai. "We must depart, if we don't want to be late, again."

"Maybe Lord Champa changed his mind and decided not to come by." Gohan guessed.

"Perhaps." Whis thought it was an adequate explanation as any.

"Then, let's go, Kai!" Beerus told him, arms folded.

"Yes, right away!" Supreme Kai nodded. "Is everyone ready?" he asked and all nodded. Bulma, Trunks and Bulla waved at Vegeta, while Gohan waved at Videl and Pan. Tien to Chiaotzu and Goku to Chi-Chi and Goten, as they all linked up to Supreme Kai.

"Kai-Kai!" he exclaimed and they were teleported away, to the palace of the Omni-Kings.

...

Meanwhile, in the 6th Universe, at the palace of the Destroyer, Fuwa was panicking, tugging at his own face and hair, as he walked circles around the gathered warriors, outside the same balcony they were restored to.

"I do not know where they could be! They should have been back, already!" he kept saying.

"You said he was off fighting that Saiyan woman from the 7th, who was giving out all that power, didn't you?" Caulifla asked Cabba, but Fuwa spoke, instead.

"Yes. I went to planet Kutidi, right away, after Cabba told me and they were not there, either." Fuwa said. "But...Lord Champa would never ignore the Grand Leaders'!" he shook his head. "And I cannot reach them, at all! This is bad! Really bad! The Grand Leaders will not tolerate this! "

"Maybe she _did_ beat him and he's either dead or a no-show." Caulifla shrugged, not caring either way.

"No, that cannot be!" Fuwa was certain. "If Lord Champa had died, then I would not be..." He stopped, before he revealed what only he and beings higher up in the hierarchy knew about the connection between a universe's Supreme Kai and its Destroyer.

"What?" Caulifla pressed, but as scared as Fuwa was of her, he would not divulge anything.

"N-nothing. I-it is not important." he shook his head, defensively holding up his hands. "But, Lord Champa not attending will not go over well with either Grand Zenos!" he kept emphasizing.

"Jeez, would you relax, already!" Caulifla told him, arms folded. "It's not like they're snubbing them! Something just came up!" she shrugged, unfolding her arms. "We can go without 'em!" she gestured, raising a hand and shrugged with a shoulder. "Those Zeno-kids wanna see all the _fighters_, not the gods, anyway!" she pointed out.

"G-g-grand Zenos! That's Grand Zenos! Please, remember!" Fuwa pleaded with her.

_"Grand Zenos..."_ Caulifla slurred and waved a hand. "Whatever. Let's just go! Or _we're_ gonna be late, too! You want that?" She put her hands on her hips, tilting her head at him.

"She...has a point." Cabba admitted, saying to Fuwa, who saw he had no choice but to depart without their universes God and Attendant and he reluctantly prepared to do so.

…

"A bunch of money-worshippers pretending to be heroes!"

"A society filled with fakes and pathetic criminals who use their power for petty misdeeds!

"We will purge them both, until society wakes up!"

A sweat-drop hung from the side of Beranise's head as she looked at a small army's worth of odd-looking, cackling miscreants, in front of her, all of whom were boasting about their might and how much they were going to change the city and the whole world. Some were flexing extra appendages, some sprouting new ones or turning and contorting their bodies into weapons and liquids, in a bizarre display of a multitude of unique abilities as they raved on about society and fake heroes.

"You had something, huh?" Beranise turned to Vados. "What kind of weirdo Earth did you bring us this time? This place is worse than the last one!" she complained as the flying mass of menaces made a mad dash towards the havoc they started to wreak below.

"This one does not seem to belong to any of the known universes, either." Vados said, looking into the orb of her staff, again. "And so, I am unable to determine where we are or where we should be." she admitted they were still traveling blindly.

"Well, that's just great..." Beranise said. She was about to go and deal with the threat, but stopped when she heard what sounded like a boy's high-pitched battle-cry from the ground.

"DETROIT...!"

"GET THE HELL OUTTA MY WAY, YOU DAMN NERD!" A second, deeper and much harsher, anger-filled voice interrupted.

"SMAAASH!" The first one finished calling out the name of his attack.

One's explosive wave of fire merged with the other's pure force, engulfing all the villainous figures in the sky above and lit it up, like an erupting volcano. In the dissipating haze, they remained hanging, for a moment, scorched and covered in a burned layer of soot, from which only the whites of their wide, shocked eyes could be seen, before they all rolled back into their heads and they fell from the air, in one fast defeat.

Beranise and Vados slightly stared at the display. Down on the wrecked street, two boys were catching their breath and their attention immediately turned to the pair in the air. Both Beranise and Vados could see a glint in their eyes and their fighting spirit flash across them, even from the height they were at. The smaller, black-haired of the boys, started glowing with a turquoise light and electricity of the same color sparked around him, while the taller, blonde boy's palms began crackling with tiny explosions as they both took a stance and started to charge up for another attack.

"Uh-oh." Beranise muttered. "Get us outta here, now!" she yelled at Vados, who tapped the tip of her staff, once, making a random jump into another universe, again, without any idea what kind of Earth they would end up on next. The boys stared in surprise as their powers died down.

"Where the hell'd they go!?" The ill-tempered of the two demanded to know and eventually looked at his comrade, whose mood was the opposite of his. "What's with that stupid grin on your face, huh!?" he took a step towards him, threateningly and their voices echoed throughout the vacated streets.

"Well...uh..." The smaller one nervously backed away, holding his hands up. "It's just that, I noticed you stopped calling me by my nickname, ever since it became official." he explained and it seemed to set off his rival.

"You did that on purpose! You knew I'd stop, didn't you!? You bastard!" A vein appeared on the blonde boy's temple, who thought he was outsmarted.

"T-that's not it, at all!" The black-haired boy apologetically denied it. At least, he certainly did not mean to outwit the blonde, this time, which seemed to make the latter even angrier and he growled at him like a rabid animal.

…

"Let's go, already!" Caulifla complained.

"We…don't have a choice." Fuwa accepted it. "We must." he added and they all linked. "Kai-Kai." he quietly said, in a voice that might as well have been a quick prayer.

…

"Your Sires, almost all of the representatives of each universe are ready and are arriving, as we speak." the Grand Priest reported to the Zenos and outside the palace, every universe was being teleported in by their Supreme Kai. The four exempt and highest mortal-level universes, the 1st, 5th, 8th and 12th, arrived, at the same time, followed by the rest, except for the 6th and 7th, populating the courtyard of the Palace of the Omni-Kings with their many warriors.

_The gods and warriors of the multiverse began arriving, while lost between parallel universes, Beranise and Vados were already tardy from the grand reunion. Their bizarre detour seemed like it would never end, as every new Earth they moved to turned out to be the wrong one. With her staff malfunctioning, Vados had no way of returning them to either the 7__th__ or the 6__th__ universe, let alone bring them to the Omni-Kings own domain. But, what can they do? How will they escape their peculiar predicament? And can this parallel planet-hopping get any weirder than it already has? See how their unexpected trip through these stranger Earths ends, on the next episode of Dragon Ball Super!_


	6. Episode 05

**Episode 05**

**All Hail**

The representatives of every universe that fought in the tournament, including the Gods, Angels and Supreme Kais of the exempt universes, were gathered in the hall of the Palace of the Omni-Kings and were standing before them in groups, as the two of them teleported in on their thrones, bringing it with them. Those few who dared quietly whispered among themselves, conversing, as the Zenos sat, flanked by their spindly guards. All turned to look as those of the 7th Universe arrived, walking in through the gate, into the gathering hall, second to last. Whis looked around at all who were present, noting the absence of the members from the 6th.

"Well, well...at least we are not the last ones to arrive, this time." he commented and felt the tension in the air, as all eyes were narrowed on them, the Saiyans, in particular and most of all, Goku.

"Hi ya!" Goku raised a hand, cheerily, as always. Jiren had his back to him, but turned, locking eyes with him and Goku suddenly had his usual peculiar smile as he stared him down. Not even Quitela or Roh made their usual jabs at Beerus or Supreme Kai, for example, commenting on how the 7th Universe was not being late for once. All the fighters who had altercations with one another, in the tournament, found one another's eyes, as well. But, none of them really felt like saying anything to other universes, least of all the 7th, as many were still sour, even though they all owed their existence to the victorious universe.

"Hey, Goku!" Both Zenos exclaimed, in unison and flew to either side of him, laughingly fist bumping him, as they did.

"Hey King Zees!" Goku greeted them. "How've ya been?"

"We were great!"

"But, we got bored."

"Yes, bored."

"So, we wanted to do something fun!"

"Yeah. I know." Goku smiled. "Me and Vegeta just came back from training, when Whis told us about the party you guys were throwing! Good idea! It's great to see everyone, again!" he glanced at the warriors, before turning back to the Zenos.

"You were training?"

"Did you get even stronger?"

"Well...I could use that Ultra Instinct thing, once." Goku nonchalantly mentioned and eyes narrowed on him even more, particularly Jiren's. "But, only for a little while."

"Wow, really?"

"You went Ultra, again?" The Zenos floated closer.

"Sure did." Goku put his hands on his hips. "Vegeta could tell ya all about it." Goku looked at him and they followed, with their child-like glee. "You should've seen it. He took my punches just as good as Jiren did." Jiren raised his gaze at that. "Maybe even better!" Goku grinned at him, almost grimacing as he was clearly teasing him, though he was not exaggerating much. Jiren and Toppo looked at Vegeta, who was not even smiling, as he glared back at them. The Zenos, of course, were thrilled with it all.

"You really keep your promise!"

"Yes! You're always training!" They said and Goku chuckled.

"Never miss a day!" Goku smiled, then rubbed his neck. "Well, my wife's not that happy about it, actually. But, that's how it is!" he shrugged and the Zenos laughed, before flying back to their seats.

"Oh, he belongs to another, then..." Heles quietly thought, out loud, with her index-finger under her chin. "A pity." she pouted.

"So, we're not late to the party, I hope." Goku looked at the Grand Priest.

"Not at all." the Grand Priest replied. "And Lord Champa is yet to arrive, along with the warriors from his universe." he noted.

"They meant to visit our Earth, before coming here." Whis noted. "However, they have not arrived and we had to leave, as we could not wait any longer."

"I see." the Grand Priest understood. "Hopefully their delay is not due to anything serious."

…

Vados and a slightly smug Beranise, in her normal state, were floating in the air, looking at another Vados and a confused Lord Champa.

"Hey! Who the heck are _you_!?" Champa accusingly asked Beranise, balling his fists and she chuckled.

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know?" She folded her arms, showing a small smile that became rare for her.

"Yes, I _would_!" Champa yelled.

"My, how very interesting!" the other Vados mused, as she looked at Beranise, then at the other her, exchanging a slightly devious smile with her.

"How can you say that!? There's nothing interesting about that _impostor_, over there!" Champa growled at her, as the two wordlessly vanished, again, surprising him. "Hey!" he yelled at the thin air.

...

"I believe this is the second time _our_ universe, in particular, is indebted to you, Goku, after you stopped Zamasu." Gowasu approached them, with a smile, hands behind his back.

"Oh, hey Gowasu! Well...uh...he kinda did all of that because of me, actually. Or the future him did, anyway. And in the end, he was gonna destroy everything, so I had to call the Zeno of that future time to stop him and he had to erase everything..." Gowasu's eyes widened. "So there was nothing left, just all white space." He was unaware of such details. "That's where I brought the other Zeno back from, actually." he thumbed towards them. Beerus smacked his head from behind.

"Grand Zeno, you oath!" he hissed, quietly.

"S-sorry." Goku muttered, briefly taking his hands off his hips.

"Then..." Goku looked at Gowasu, who spoke. "At the very least, we are even." he said with a smile and they saw Rumush give them a nod, even though he still did not like Goku's irreverent attitude.

"Uh, yeah. I guess." Goku shrugged with a smile, then all turned as the members of the 6th Universe arrived, minus their God and Attendant. Fuwa looked extremely nervous. Magetta was only slightly so. Botamo was frowning. Dr. Rota kept a composed demeanor. Pirina and Sanoel also had a frown. Hit and Caulifla looked like they could not care any less, while Kale shyly stood behind the latter and Cabba smiled when he saw Vegeta and the rest from the 7th Universe.

"Master!" Cabba exclaimed, in greeting and got a nod from him, as he ran up to them. "It's great to see you all!" he smiled at everyone. "We owe you our lives!" he bowed, with respect and gratitude.

"Hey, Cabba!" Goku greeted him, then, he looked at Hit. "What's up, Hit?" he grinned, but before either of them, or likely just Cabba, could answer, Caulifla strolled over, dragging Kale by the wrist, pushing Cabba out of the way.

"Hey! You! You're gonna show us how to do Super Saiyan 3!" she yelled up at Goku. "I already got 2 completely down and my girl, here, is a power-house, anyway..." Kale went red from the unexpected praise. "But, you already know _that_." Caulifla grinned, as they all remembered her strength.

"Sure do!" Goku nodded, folding his arms. "So, you already got 2, completely down, since then, huh? That's pretty amazing! You got there in as many days as it took in years for me." he compared.

"Well, I'm just that damn good." Caulifla put her hands on her hips with a cocky smirk. "Cabba's still struggling just to turn Super Saiyan 2." she thumbed behind her, at him, mockingly smiling.

"Is he?" Vegeta stepped forward, unfolding his arms and it made Cabba stand at attention.

"Well, I..." he dared not to meet his eyes, as he had no excuse, even though it has only been a few days, since the tournament.

"Are you slacking off on your training?" Vegeta loomed over him.

"N-no, that's not it!" Cabba tried to explain himself, as Fuwa approached the Grand Priest and the Zenos, falling on his knees.

"Y-your Sires, Grand Priest, Sir! P-please accept my deepest apologies!" he kept bowing. "Lord Champa...he seems to be missing. He and Miss Vados never came back to his palace and no one knows where they are. I searched everywhere they were last seen, but found no clue as to where they could have gone." he rattled.

"We are aware." The Grand Priest stated. "Thank you for your efforts and your report, Supreme Kai Fuwa." he said and Fuwa exhaled all the air he was holding, in relief.

"I wonder what is keeping them..." Whis thought, out loud.

"You think Lord Champa and Vados are in trouble?" Gohan asked Whis. "That sounds unlikely."

"Actually..." Cabba turned from Vegeta's reprimanding glare.

...

"Now, _this_ is more like it." Beranise said, arms folded, as she and Vados were looking at a slightly different version of themselves, as the other Beranise was still in her old armor. She also had her arms folded and gave her divinely-dressed self a smirk. "Getting warmer." Beranise muttered, showing no actual warmth, unlike the other her.

"How very interesting." The other Vados looked between them. "And how did _this_ happen?" she asked herself.

"Instead of taking us to Earth, the staff has been taking us through a number of parallel universes. It had to be repaired, recently." Vados explained, not giving even herself more information than that.

"Oh, my!" the other Vados exclaimed. "I wonder why it needed that." she said, amused by it and coyly raised a brow at herself, but Vados guarded with the same small smile she had.

"Can't you just take _her_ staff?" Beranise muttered to Vados, leaning closer to her and Vados' smile disappeared.

"And leave them with a malfunctioning one?" she asked, somewhat unsure if Beranise was being serious about it.

"Now, now. That will not be necessary." the other Vados said, having overheard. She looked at Beranise. "I believe _someone_ owes you a favor. We merely have to get their attention by creating a small time-anomaly. However..." she looked at her other self. "It would be inadvisable to wind back time using _your _staff. So, I can assist with mine."

"A-actually...!" Chronoa's voice rang out. "There's no need for that!" The two Beranises glanced around, while the two Vadoses raised their gaze.

"It is a pleasure to hear from you, again, Supreme Kai of Time." Both Vadoses said, at the same time and the Beranises exchanged looks, at the title. "You have been watching us, then." the Vados who suggested calling her concluded. "Or rather...them." she corrected, looking at the lost version of them.

"Is that so?" Vados found it slightly interesting the Time Patrol was watching them more closely and thought it likely had to be because of Beranise's exploits.

"Y-yes. We've lost sight of you, for a while, but we received a warning the first time you...met your other selves. While it's not strictly an anomaly, we do monitor contact between parallel timelines, especially after what happened with Zamasu." she told them.

"Can you place us back into our timeline, then?" Vados asked.

"Of course! We only need to...um..." Chronoa turned nervous. "Bring you to the Time Vault." she seemed to realize as she said it.

"Is there a problem?" Vados arced a brow.

"Oh...no! Not at all." Chronoa assured them. "It's just that..." she quickly thought of an explanation. "This is a lot more delicate then when we send someone to the past and back. I'll have to transport you, here, first, in order to place you back into your timeline, to avoid any possible fractures throughout the fabric of the current time." she explained, though not why she was really nervous about bringing Beranise, in particular, to her.

"I see." Vados understood.

"I'll bring you here, right away." Chronoa told her. "Hold on!"

"Well, this has been interesting." the other Vados said, glancing at the Lord-version of Beranise as she told her soon-to-be-rescued self.

"You have no idea." Vados spoke, then looked down on herself, as a time-portal quickly came up from under her feet and another from under Beranise's.

"Bye!" the other Vados called after them, as they were taken. Without turning, she glanced at her Beranise, who spoke.

"So...Supreme Kai of Time, huh?" Beranise folded her arms, suspiciously, at her and Vados gave her a sly smile.

...

"Welcome to the Time Vault." Chronoa greeted them, with a lot less enthusiasm than she usually spoke with, as they appeared inside, where she stood in front of the table with all the scroll. Trunks and the rookies were not present, as she told them not to be. Beranise glanced around at all of the shelves of the archives, as she slowly walked forward, then lowered her eyes at her, hands on her hips.

"So...you're...the tiny Kai of Time." Beranise said, looking down at her and Chronoa straightened, putting her hands on her hips.

"_Supreme_ Kai of time." she held her head up, trying not to be nervous, but her brave facade quickly crumbled when Beranise leaned in, her own face inches from hers.

"_Tiny_ Supreme Kai of Time." she said and what got to Chronoa the most, was not the lasciviousness she had expected, but the lack of it as Beranise did not smile with her teasing the way she would have, before she changed. She probably pondered those changes in Beranise for longer than she thought, as Beranise raised a brow at her silence, before straightening back up.

"Now, then..." Vados spoke. "We have to be on our way, I'm afraid. As relative as it may seem, considering present company and place, we are running late." she pointed out.

"Have I told you I don't care?" Beranise muttered to her and the question was rhetorical, but it merely interrupted Vados, who continued what she was saying, after a stoical glance at Beranise.

"With that said, could you possibly transport us to the Grand Leaders' palace?" she asked Chronoa.

"There?" she asked in alarm. "Oh, o-of course!" she told her.

"That would be grand. Thank you!" Vados politely replied and Beranise gave her a slow, scrutinizing side-glance, unable to tell if she intentionally made a pun or not.

Chronoa picked a fresh-looking scroll of the table. "I made this as soon as we located you. It's a temporary copy of the scroll for the current-time that dissolves after use, for safety reasons. It's inscribed with a set of coordinates for any destination within the 6th Universe, including Lord Champa's, uh, I mean...Lord Beranise's palace." she corrected herself.

"Don't call me that." Beranise calmly told her, but with some annoyance, rather than anger.

"Oh, right! S-sorry!" Chronoa remembered seeing she did not like that. "Since this scroll can only work for the 6th Universe, I guess there is no need for it, now." She put the scroll back. "I have to take you to the Omni-King's Palace, personally. And since I'm a Supreme Kai, I'm the only person, here, who can."

"Thank you, again, Supreme Kai of Time!" Vados said.

"Of course." Chronoa meekly said, glancing at Beranise and hesitantly raised her hand to put it...somewhere on her body, where she did not fear she would not pull it back from. "Um..." It did not help that she kept looking at her, although with a passive face that was not angry or annoyed, anymore.

"Oh, don't be afraid..." Vados spoke with an even face and tone. "She won't bite. And her bark is a lot worse." she said with a side-glance at Beranise, who slightly arced a brow, which she, then, narrowed at her.

"For now..." Beranise muttered and from that close, Chronoa felt the tension from her and that also did not help. She looked at Beranise, once more, who slightly raised a brow at her, as if asking why she was taking so long. Chronoa mustered some will and quickly placed her left-hand on Beranise's folded forearm and the other on Vados' wrist, somewhat surprising the two with her sudden movement.

"Kai-Kai!" she blurted out and they instantly travelled to the Omni-Kings' palace. They arrived at the front-gates, where two of the Zenos' guards stood on either side.

"You're saying Beranise went to fight Lord Champa?" Gohan was asking Cabba in shock, after the latter began describing what happened. "So what happened to-…" Gohan was cut off, when a warning shot through everyone's mind, as they sensed the new energy that showed up. Chronoa stepped back from Beranise and Vados.

"Glad I could help. G-good bye! Kai-Kai!" she hastily said and was gone, leaving the two to slightly stare at the empty spot. They turned towards the palace, on which Beranise laid eyes for the first time, as it floated slightly above the surface of whatever they were on, which was a giant jellyfish-like creature. Twelve floating stone-pillars were arranged in a circle around the courtyard, each one with a small universe above them.

"Lofty." Beranise muttered and unfolded her arms as they walked up to the gate, but the two guards moved, disappearing and reappearing through portals, to stand in their path.

"Stop!" one said.

"You are not Lord Champa." the other stated.

"Only Destroyers, their Attendants, the Supreme Kai's and their distinguished guests are allowed to enter the Palace of the Omni-Kings." the first one warned.

"You are wearing the attire of a Destroyer, yet, you are unfamiliar to us. Angel of the 6th Universe, explain her presence!" he looked at Vados.

"And _you_, identify yourself!" the other loomed over Beranise, overzealous about his duties.

Back inside, the others have been silently waiting, since they sensed the arrival. The seemingly infinite hall shook, along with its columns, from an explosion as they heard a guard scream and some eyes widened, while others narrowed. Then one guard appeared, out of his portal, in front of everyone, falling on his knees as smoke came from his burned body and his half-burned face twisted from the pain, which they could see in his twitching eyes.

"L-lord…Z-zeno...!" he could barely cough the words out, before his eyes rolled back and he fell forward, with his life gone, to almost everyone's horror, particularly the other bodyguards and not even the Angels could keep a straight face. The Zenos were like a painting of twin fishes, gaping from their thrones, not in shock, but simply curious what killed their guard and they all raised their heads when they heard Vados' voice, coming from the dark-end of the hall, along with two distinct footsteps.

"That was completely unnecessary!" she was disapprovingly saying.

"Yeah? You know what else is _unnecessary_?" They heard an annoyed Beranise. "Erasing whole universes! So, shut the hell up!" she barked at Vados and a few seconds later, they slowly emerged from the darkened path. All eyes widened, when they saw Beranise. Beerus' narrowed even further, when he saw what she was wearing. The Angels slightly narrowed their eyes, except for the Grand Priest, whose expression remained neutral, while all the Gods were surprised at the change. Beranise stopped in front of them, standing over the guard she killed and put her hands on her hips, as Vados was stood behind her, looking straight ahead, at no one in particular. Fuwa and Cabba looked both shocked and horrified, along with Gohan and Goku.

"I forgot my hall pass." Beranise flippantly stated, as she stood before everyone.

…

Those from the 7th Universe, particularly Goku, Gohan and Vegeta, were staring at Beranise. Sidra glared, while Roh clamped his teeth together, from fear and started to sweat, having not expected the accursed woman he wanted to get revenge on would take the position of a Destroyer and one stronger than his own universe's. It did not bode well for their plans. The other Gods and Angels were giving Beranise a somewhat disapproving look, given what she had done. The Grand Priest floated closer.

"Am I correct in assuming Champa will not be joining us?" he asked.

"I dunno." Beranise folded her arms, glancing at Goku and the rest. "It looks like even dead guys can just walk around, like they're not supposed to be in Hell." she said, looking back at the Grand Priest. Beerus' glare remained the same.

"It is also the reason for your lateness, I take it." he said.

"Actually..." Vados spoke up. "We had some difficulties with the staff..." she lifted it up. "We were going to Earth to tell Lord Beerus the news about his brother and ended up travelling through a number of parallel universes, before we received help." Vados would not say who from, in front of the warriors and from the corner of her eyes made a quick glance at Beranise, who remained silent on it.

"I see. Then it is in need of further repairs." the Grand Priest understood.

"Yes." Vados nodded.

"So, Champa won't come?" one Zeno cocked his head.

"So, what happened?" the other tilted his head to the same side, before switching to the other.

"I put him down." Beranise flatly stated. "I'm getting stronger." she shrugged. "Like I promised." she gave a fake smile and as the Zenos excitedly looked at each other, giggling, it turned into a briefly silver-eyed murderous glare they failed to see. But, everyone else saw it, with alarm. The Zenos turned back to her, thrilled with her quick progress.

"You're really stronger!"

"Yes! Just like you said!"

"I keep my promises." Beranise stated, with a small, fake smile, but her tone was menacing, only the Zenos did not notice, even as everyone else did.

"B-But wait…!" Fuwa stepped forward. "I-If Lord Champa is…really dead…then how am I still alive?" he was confused.

"Oh, yeah! That's right!" Goku remembered. "Whis told me the Supr-…" Beerus clamped a hand over his mouth, from behind.

"Shut…up!" he growled and everyone looked at them with suspicion.

"Uh…what's going on?" Gohan asked.

"We shall discuss that, separately." the Grand Priest said, looking at Beranise. "For now, enjoy this reunion, everyone! And should some of you feel the need to…the arena used for the Exhibition Match, is still right below us." he told them with a small smile that got, at least, Goku excited, along with the Zenos, while some of the others looked like they were considering the use of it. "Supreme Kai Fuwa, Vados and you…" he looked at Beranise. "If you would please come with me, to a different place. There are individuals, among the mortals, who could still hear us." Piccolo frowned at that, having hoped he could listening in. The four of them join the Grand Priest, who, with a raising of his hands, transported them to a similar, but empty room.

"She's…a Destroyer, now." Gohan looked at the ground. He could not believe she would chose to be.

"Not exactly." Whis spoke and Gohan looked up, surprised. "She has not embraced the Power of Destruction and the state of mind necessary for it, the way Toppo temporarily did, as I you recall." he looked at Goku and Vegeta. "In other words, to put your minds at ease, she did not cast anything aside. She is still who she was…only…considerably angrier."

"Hey…are you okay with that, Lord Beerus?" Goku tilted his head. "I mean, you kinda said you'd destroy your own brother, yourself, if he wasn't, uh, I mean, if he hadn't been your brother."

"Dad!" Gohan exclaimed, thinking he was upsetting Beerus even further, but they saw the latter was merely looking ahead, in silence and in thought.

…

"And you tell me this, _now_!?" Beranise was yelling at Vados, after she briefly explained the connection between Creation and Destruction, the role of a Supreme Kai and that of a Destroyer. "I could've killed him!" she pointed a finger at a still confused, silent Fuwa.

"Yes. You could have." Vados said, though her tone was not a lecturing one. "Because you did not fully understood the consequences of eliminating a Destroyer." she merely stated.

"And whose fault is _that_, then!? You could've said something, but you just let things play out, as usual, just for your own little fun!" Beranise accusingly told her, but it did not faze Vados, who had a completely guilt-free, also, knowing look about her.

"Unless…" the Grand Priest started. "She knew what the outcome of the fight would be and prepared for it; though, in what way, is still unclear. Vados?" he prompted her to explain.

"I severed the link between Supreme Kai Fuwa and Champa. Since I could not immediately place it on her…" she glanced at Beranise. "I temporarily linked _myself_ to the Supreme Kai…" she looked at Fuwa, who was shocked. "To prevent him from dying, until she came along." she looked at Beranise. "And after her battle, I completed the transfer of the link, as it normally would have happened between a new Destroyer and a Supreme Kai. The latter does not always perish, along with the other, if there is a proper replacement." she told Fuwa and Beranise, neither of who knew that detail. "However, since _she_ is not a proper Destroyer, the transfer would not have simply happened on its own. Therefore, I had to do it myself and ensure the balance was kept." she noted and Beranise realized the consequences of it.

"So, you're saying I'll die, _too_, if _he_ dies!?" Beranise angrily yelled.

"It comes with the position you took." Vados stated and Beranise snarled at her, baring her teeth. "You understand better, now, the importance of the forces the gods are _meant to_ represent."

"But, wait…" Fuwa still did not understand something. "When _did_ you sever the link between us?"

"While both you and Champa took a nap, after the tournament." Vados had a small, smug smile, as Fuwa slightly gaped at her, while Beranise kept fuming at her.

"B-but, how were you so certain _she_ would win? Or that I wouldn't be killed, somehow? You could have died!" Fuwa assumed.

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far." Vados coyly said, so neither he nor Beranise would know for certain that her life actually would have been in danger or not.

"Seeing as that matter had been taken care of, to ensure accidents like the one you have just been through will not happen, I shall lend you _my_ staff, until I can complete proper reparations on yours." the Grand Priest said. "As for how you managed to return, would I be correct in assuming, the help you had was from the Supreme Kai of Time?" the Grand Priest asked Vados.

"It was." she nodded. "Though, we agreed she would not place us back into the 6th Universe or back in time, before our departure, to avoid a paradox."

…

"Para…" one Zeno started, tilting his head.

"Dox…" the other finished repeating what the Grand Priest had reported to them, as they were back in the gathering hall, with the others.

"That's a funny word." the first Zeno said.

"Yes, funny." the other agreed.

"It was a wise decision, You Sires. Paradoxes are…_very_ bad, you see." he told them, before they would think of asking for a demonstration, in their child-like curiosity. Beranise stood with Universe 6 and 7, while Whis was to the side with Vados, observing them and the other universes from a distance.

"So, tell me, sister…" Whis glanced at her, facing forward. "Did she use it?" he asked.

"No." Vados had a slight smile.

"Oh. Impressive!" he was slightly surprised. "I was certain she would, at least, be forced to tap into it, at one point." he referred to the incomplete form of Ultra Instinct. "But, _you_ are not surprised." he stated, rather than noted. "You expected this would happen." He knew and Vados coyly smiled ahead.

"And you just moved into his Palace, then?" Gohan asked, as Beranise sounded almost casual about it.

"How did I not know about this?" Fuwa's head was reeling, as Beranise looked at Beerus, who had been silent, the whole time.

"So…what's with _you_? You wanna get payback for that bastard?" Beranise asked him.

"He was an insufferable pain…but he was still my brother." Beerus stated with a glare, keeping calm.

"Should I take that as a _yes_?" Beranise was prepared to fight him.

"You shouldn't take it for a _no_." Beerus said, knowing that if she was strong enough to kill his brother, he would want to fight her, eventually. Not for Champa. Not that he would admit it. But, as a challenge. Beranise could tell as much, so she did not worry about a fight between them. Not to death, anyway. But, she knew that if her strength was just enough to defeat Champa, she and Beerus were nearly on even ground, in terms of power, which meant she could not waste time on anything besides training.

"Well…" she said. "Looks like I got work to do, then." she stated and Beerus understood her meaning.

"Wow! You could be as strong as Lord Beerus, now!" Goku excitedly stepped between them, clenching his fists, as he looked at them and their eyes widened, before Beerus threw him a glare, while Beranise just watched.

"Curse them…" Roh muttered. "I never would have thought any of them would actually take on a Destroyer like that. These…Saiyans. They are far too dangerous." he noted. "Fortunately, we will have our solution to that problem, soon enough." he ominously said and at the same time, on Earth, shadowy figures, wearing the same outfits as the assassins who confronted Goku and Frieza, surrounded Capsule Corp HQ and were lying in wait, inside the bushes, ready to infiltrate, as the unsuspecting families of the Z-Fighters were enjoying the finally peaceful afternoon.

_After calling in their favor from the Supreme Kai of Time, Beranise and Vados were rescued from their hopeless situation and they finally made it to the meeting, where Beranise finally revealed herself to all, while the Supreme Kai of the 6__th__ Universe dodged quite a bullet. But, as our warriors were busy not exactly mingling with the other universes, danger was slithering towards Capsule Corp HQ, from the bushes, as the plans of the 9__th__ Universe's conniving Supreme Kai were put into motion. Will these sneakthieves break and enter unseen? And if not, will they be forced to fight and hurt the families of the warriors? See how this robbery will go, on the next Dragon Ball Super!_


	7. Episode 06

**Episode 06 **

**Kid-Gloves Off**

Oblivious to the lurking thieves, the mothers were catching a break from their duties, as they were lying in the chairs, letting Trunks and Goten look after Bulla and Pan. The latter was racing around the house with Goten and Chiaotzu, doing laps, while Trunks was gently rocking his little sleeping sister in her cradle, next to their mother. The spies were suppressing their energy, out of caution, to remain undetected, as they waited for the right moment to slip inside the building. They have already narrowed down the location of Bulma's bedroom, at least, as they observed from outside, but suspected the device they were looking for might not be kept there. Half-a-dozen of them timed how fast the children went around and bolted inside, through the doors, split up and started to stealthily move through the corridors and levels, peeking into every room. One quickly came across the kitchen, where Mrs. Briefs was watering some indoor plants and he moved on, unnoticed. Outside, Pan was already showing enough speed to easily overtake Chiaotzu, once she really got into it and focused, even though, her abilities seemingly came like second-nature to her, at that point, despite her age.

...

"You're not gonna come back to Earth?" Gohan was asking Beranise and she knew he was talking about visiting Pan.

"Sure I will. I can go over whenever I want." Beranise shrugged. "You think I'm gonna play by their rules?" she scoffed and Gohan was not really surprised by it.

"I guess not." He was somewhat relieved to hear it, but he was also worried how careful she will be with her attitude.

"So, Cabba..." he turned to Goku, who was smiling down on him. "Anything interesting happening in the 6th Universe? Like a tournament, maybe?" he grinned, glancing at Hit.

"Well...aside from Beranise's fight with Lord…uh…Champa, nothing as exciting as a tournament. Unless, someone organizes one, again." he glanced at Beranise, whose only response was a declining groan. "I think our universe had its fill of excitement, for now."

"It was that intense, huh?" Goku looked at Beranise.

"So, you're the one we sensed, then?" Beranise turned as Caulilfa approached her, with Kale trailing close behind her and she recognized both of them, having seen their skills in the rerun she watched. "You were even stronger than _him_ with his Super Saiyan 3!" she nodded at Goku. "And it wasn't that Blue thing, 'cause we could still feel it. So, what was it, then? Spill!" she brashly pressed, putting her hands on her hips and Beranise, arms folded, silently gave her a quick look-over, her eyes briefly flicking to Kale, too, before she turned to Fuwa.

"When this thing's over, go to Sadala and bring my squad to the Palace, along with these two." she told him, surprising him with the order and Caulifla with the lack of an answer or even regard for her question and it quickly annoyed her.

"Hey! Did you even hear me?" she took a step towards her.

"Settle down, pint-size..." Beranise muttered. "You're gonna get a lot more than you can chew on. So, you better have some room in that mouth for your money." she warningly told her and Caulifla was left speechless, probably for the first time, for just a second, but she quickly glared up at Beranise, as Kale and Cabba stared.

...

Back at Capsule Corp HQ, the thieves were spread out all over the building, while outside, Goten suddenly thought he would make things more interesting for Pan, smiling as an idea came to him.

"Follow me, Pan!" he called behind him and made a sharp turn, going inside the building, where they zipped through the many winding corridors, making the sneaking intruders press up against walls, squeeze behind whatever cover they could find or dive inside the nearest empty room. One of them, accidentally happened upon the lab, this way, as he noticed and jumped to his feet. After making sure the corridor was empty of the children, he found the switch to the reinforced door and closed it, so he could search the room, uninterrupted. The others came out from under a table, from behind a planter, out of a large vase and a room, while the last one dropped from the ceiling he was clinging to with his claws, somewhat shaking, after he was nearly run down by the racing children. The one in the lab was quickly rifling through every cabinet, when he heard the door slide open and he jumped behind a stack of boxes, as Bulma came in, talking on her phone.

"Oh, she's _already_ a fan of fighting!" she was saying. "Hardly surprising." she added and listened, as the thief laid low, while she sat in front of her computer. "I dunno. Trunks started pretty early." she answered, as she checked something on the computer. "But, that was only because Vegeta wanted to get one over on Goku." she noted, then waited, typing away with both hands, as the phone was pressed between her right-shoulder and ear. "Well, yeah. Even more, now. At least, he could get his groove back, since they both got some special training." His eyes narrowed at that and he assumed she was referring to Lord Beerus and his Attendant, though they suspected, ever since the Exhibition Match, they were being trained. "Yeah, that's him." she confirmed. "Oh, don't even remind me! That was a completely jerk-move! He didn't have to destroy it!" she hit the keys a little more forcefully, thinking about how Beerus blew her Time Machine up, just to keep them from meddling with time any more than they already had and the thief waited. "It was my life's work! I mean…kind of." Bulma added, as she felt she would eventually build even better things.

...

"This Super Squad sounds impressive." Tien was saying to Beranise.

"And they're all ladies, eh?" Roshi leaned in. His training to resist women had apparently worn off.

"Come on, Master Roshi..." Krillin sighed.

"He's relapsing." 18 muttered, arms folded, looking at Roshi from the corner of her eyes.

"They were the only ones who could turn Super Saiyan." Cabba pointed out. "And they're almost as strong as I am." he smiled. "If you'll take them to train with you, they'll catch up, in no time, at all." he told Beranise.

"And you'll just stand around and let it happen? Is that it?" Vegeta menaced him.

"N-no! I won't!" Cabba corrected himself. "I'll keep pushing myself, as well." he clenched a fist, swearing to him and himself.

"Dream on, fanboy!" Caulifla folded her arms. "You'll never beat _us_!" she declared, with an arrogant smirk.

"We'll see." Cabba stated, with a determined look and Goku turned, looking towards Jiren and Toppo, with a smile.

"Oh, so _now_ you're tough, when these guys're around, huh, dweeb?" Caulifla's fading voice said, behind him, as he started walking over to them. Gohan, Vegeta and Piccolo noticed, before the rest.

"You sure got a mouth, there, Flower." Beranise commented.

"It's _Caulilfa_!" she retorted, but Beranise's attention was already on what Goku was doing. Caulifla growled at her, but she also looked. Jiren and Toppo, both standing with their sides to him, were already eyeballing him, as he approached them, with that challenging smile. He stopped in front of them and Velmod turned around with a somewhat sour, but also curious expression, wondering what he wanted.

"Hey..." Goku started. "Still some hard feelings, huh?" he looked at Jiren. "Am I still the bad guy?" he asked Toppo, whose eyes actually showed he contemplated his question, even before he asked and he faced Goku.

"I was desperate to protect my universe and to serve the justice I swore to uphold. Because of that, I was blind to more than just the mistakes I made." He placed his large hand over his chest. "It would only dishonor this uniform even more if I refused to admit I have misjudged you, Goku. The words of your comrades and the wish you made spoke for you, as much as your actions did." Toppo sincerely told him.

"I'm just glad we got to prove it." Goku kept the same smile, but then he turned confused. "So..." he glanced between Velmod and Toppo. "Does this mean you're not gonna be your universes God of Destruction, then?"

"It was one of the mistakes I made." Toppo looked above Goku, who knew he was looking at Vegeta. "I have abandoned my principles." he concisely put it, looking back down at Goku. "I realized I could not be a Destroyer and still stay true to what I, as a Pride Trooper, stand for." He turned to Velmod. "I mean no disrespect, Lord Velmod." he added.

"Yeah, don't sweat it." Velmod took no offense.

"You know, before we fought, it was hard to imagine anyone could be this strong, besides the Gods, I mean." Goku told Jiren and Toppo. "But, because of the tournament, we know we _can_ be." he smirked.

"As do we." Toppo stated, meaning they would also train to get stronger, which made Goku's smirk deepen and he looked at Jiren, as well.

"I hold you to that." Goku smiled at them and turned to leave.

...

Bulma was still on her computer, with her phone, while the thief, instead of turning agitated, was actually getting bored with hiding.

"I got the file right here." Bulma found what she was looking for. "I'll send it over." she said and typed some more, before finalizing what she did. "There you go! Call me, if you need another pair of eyes, sis! Bye!" she said, hung up and turned off the computer, then headed out of the lab. The thief sighed, as he could finally get on with his mission and he continued to look through everything. His comrades were not having much success, either. One even made it inside Bulma and Vegeta's bedroom. He looked at a framed family photo of a smiling Bulma and Trunks, with a frowning Vegeta and swallowed the lump in his throat, thinking he would be a dead man if the man of the house ever caught him or just wind of his intrusion. Another thief was almost reeling from the bright baby-colors that assaulted his eyes, as he stood in Bulla's room. Outside, Goten and Chiaotzu were talking to Videl and Bulma.

"So, you want to take Pan and find all the Dragon Balls?" Bulma asked and looked at Videl, who was a little worried. "What do you think?" she asked her and Videl saw how excited her daugter was.

"Well, she never saw one." Videl said. "And she can already fly better than I can, so...I guess it's okay." she agreed. "But, you have to promise you won't take her anywhere dangerous, like, into a big dinosaur nest or something." she told them.

"We promise." Goten nodded with Chiaotzu.

"The Radar is in my lab, in the cabinet, right next my computer." Bulma told them.

At the same time, on a hunch, after seeing Bulma at the computer, the thief skipped a good portion of the lab and went to look around it, not taking long to find what he came for, in a regular, old cabinet. He held the Dragon Radar in his hands and fiddled with it, until it turned on, displaying some faint signals for general direction, but no actual balls, nearby, as they have not been gathered since the last time they were used. He took out a small communicator device from a hidden pocket and spoke to the others, five of who were still snooping around the rest of the building.

"I got what we need. We can get outta here." He switched the radar off, hoping it would actually show what they needed it to, when the time came, pocketed it and headed for the door. When it slid open, he found himself face to face with Goten, Pan and Chiaotzu, making him jerk back in surprise. The trio blinked, looking at the suspiciously clad person in confusion.

"Who're you?" Goten asks.

"Uh...lab...assistant?" the thief slowly asked, rather than stated.

"You don't look like a lab assistant." Goten said, still not suspicious, but Chiaotzu was.

"He's not." he narrowed his eyes and even Pan put on her war-face. The guy started backing away, then suddenly bolted, jumping over them.

"Hey!" Goten yelled after him and saw he was met by two other, identically clad, intruders, who came running from the other corridors. Goten, Chiaotzu and Pan were in hot pursuit, surprising them with their speed, which made them panic.

"What!?" one of them exclaimed as they quickly caught up to them. They have seen the children play around, but apparently they were doing just that and their actual skills were unknown to them. Another one of them stopped and turned around, as they ran towards a T-junction.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud, they're just little kids and a todd-...EEH!" He got the wind knocked out of him by Pan, whose two small fists rammed him in the stomach, sending him flying past the others, straight through a wall and into a dark room, leaving his two partners in crime to stare after him, wide-eyed. They exchanged a panicked look and ran separate ways, down the hall. Goten and Chiaotzu gave chase, while the third one dug himself out of the rubble to climb back out and he found himself face-to-puffed-face with a floating Pan, who had her little arms folded and a menacing glare. The others regrouped and were nearly back outside, when they saw two of their number running towards them, from opposite directions, being chased.

"Are you serious!? You're running from _kids_?" one incredulously berated them. He jumped at Goten with a downward kick, but was surprised when he dodged above him and even more surprised when he kicked him in the face, with ease. It was firmly embedded in the floor, as the others stopped to help and four of them started to attack Goten and Chiaotzu, two on one. The one back with Pan was staggering left and right, as she continually charged at him from different sides, disorienting him. He could barely get his communicator out.

"WE NEED BACK UP!" he desperately yelled into it.

"Huh?" Trunks suddenly felt several higher-than-normal energies coming towards their home and he could also feel Goten, Chiaotzu and Pan were all already fighting others.

"What is it, Trunks?" Bulma asked, instantly worried, as she could see his face.

"Something's going on, mom. Stay here!" he told her, powered up and flew inside, where half-a-dozen more men joined the fray, along with Pan and the one she was chasing, when Trunks arrived. They were outnumbered three to one, but it did not appear as though any of the children were in danger, not even Pan, who was like a pinball, as she bounced off of them, while Goten punched them around and Chiaotzu kicked them. Technically, the latter was an adult, but that information would not have made their assailants feel any better about themselves.

...

Roh was giving the ones from the 7th Universe a disgusted glare, as they watched them and the 6th mingle.

"Are we the only universes that get along?" Krillin asked, as they noticed none of the others were interacting with one another.

"Looks that way." Gohan noted.

"How sad." 18 muttered, sarcastically.

"Now that I think about it..." Goku started. "Whis and Vados are the only ones who talk to each other."

"Those other Angels don't really look all that interested." Gohan said. "But, they're all siblings, right, Lord Beerus?" he turned to him and all he got was a grunt, in confirmation. Beranise heard that, glancing at them from the corner of her eyes and seemed to have gotten an idea.

"Lot of these guys look like sore losers, anyway." Caulifla commented, folding her arms. "Who cares if they don't wanna talk to us." she dismissively added.

"Like you're a conversationalist." Beranise muttered, arms folded and Caulifla did not like her tone.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" she stepped towards Beranise.

"What'd'you think?" Beranise flatly goaded her.

"You're calling me dumb or something!?" Caulifla raised her voice, getting the attention of everyone, including the Zenos.

"Well, you caught that, so _maybe_ I was wrong." Beranise shrugged.

"Maybe I'll kick your _ass_!" Caulifla angrily exclaimed, turning Super Saiyan.

"Caulifla...!" Cabba jumped in front of her.

"No, please! You must not start a fight!" Fuwa pleaded with them.

"Too late. I already won." Beranise stated, with an even tone, a smile nowhere, not on her lips and not in her eyes.

"Why you-...!" Caulifla growled, but Beranise's hair suddenly became golden and reached below her waist, while her eyebrows disappeared to the alarm of the others. Caulilfa felt immense pain, as Beranise's fist was in her stomach and she pulled back, making her fall to her knees.

"Sis!" Kale exclaimed as the others, aside from the obvious exception of Beerus, were just as shocked.

"Why...!?" Cabba stared, along with Gohan, Goku, Fuwa and the rest. Caulifla retched and coughed blood, which made Kale snap.

"SIIIIIS!" she screamed, transforming, as greenish energy erupted from her, into her uncontrolled self and attacked an entirely unsurprised Beranise, in rage. The latter tried holding her, grabbing her by the wrists, but was pushed back, along the floor, until she turned Super Saiyan 4 and slowed her to a stop. Kale's completely white, pupilless eyes, glared at her in both anger and surprise, as Beranise's violet pair coldly looked at her as she was making some effort to hold her at bay. She pushed back, throwing Kale's fists outwards, kneed her in the face to keep her away, followed by a double-handed purple energy wave into her, from up-close, that launched her into a pillar. She pressed on with the attack, until the pillar broke apart behind an infuriated Kale, who screamed more from anger than pain, as she was pushed farther back by the wave. The Zenos got excited at the spectacle, which the Grand Priest noted, from the corner of his eyes, so he let the fight go on.

Beranise launched herself above Kale with a forward role, wrapping her legs around her neck, then did a backflip, throwing her, face-first, into the ground that took no visible damage, as if there was no ground at all. Before Kale could immediately get up, Beranise drilled down on her back with both feet, pounding her into the strange surface. Kale attempted to roll to her back with a backhanded hit behind her, at Beranise, who moved to be back-to-back with her, caught her whole arm with both hands, spun using some of Kale's own momentum, swinging her over and slammed her, face-first, into the floor. It seemed to only enrage the uncontrolled brute Kale was in that state, her endurance making her near impervious to any damage made to her. Beranise could feel that as Kale rolled onto her back, yanking Beranise with her, as the latter was still holding onto her arm and slammed her back-first into the ground, right next to her, trapping her under her large forearm.

Having felt Kale's strength, Beranise could not let herself be immobilized by her, so she powered up, against her flexing forearm, just to push it off of herself, but Kale pressed down, as she propped herself on it to get on top of Beranise, who, under any other circumstance, not counting the brutish mass of her opponent, would not have minded the position so much, especially if she had been her old self. But, as it was, she knew she was about to get crushed, unless she got out from under her. She figured that trying to wrap her legs around her neck to pull her down behind her, again, was too dangerous and probably would not work. Instead, she used her feet, clapping them together to slap Kale's ears from both sides, making her whole head ring. It gave her just a second to pull her legs to her chest, charge them with energy and kick Kale in the chin with them, pushing her off with a blast, for added force and with it, flipped backwards, from her hands to her feet. She did not give her a moment's rest, as she assaulted her face with heavy punches, driving her back and keeping her disoriented.

Barely a minute had passed since they began and Caulifla could barely lift her gaze to see Kale struggle. Everyone looked on, most of them impressed and in awe, while a few, who were the strongest of their universe, merely observed, seemingly indifferent, but wary of the power they felt from both, as Beranise relentlessly pummeled Kale, slowing a few of her punches down to charge them with energy, before delivering them. Even that barely caused any visible discomfort, as Kale's face contorted mostly from her blind fury than any physical pain she was feeling, if any of it even crossed a threshold, at all.

"I can't believe she is fighting her this well!" Gohan stated. "Even _you_ couldn't hold that girl back, when she became like that, as Super Saiyan Blue." he pointed out to his father, whose smile surprised him, as the latter nodded.

"Yeah. Her only problem is the lack of control." Goku analyzed, as the others from their universe, sans Vegeta and Beerus, looked at his calm attitude. "She did get it, in our fight. But, it looks like she hadn't had much practice to get used it, since then."

"Goku? Are you not concerned?" Supreme Kai asked, in surprise, seeing how he was acting.

"Nah." Goku's expression had not changed, as he kept watching. Beranise kept charging the energy in her fists, while they made contact and after one particularly heavy punch, the next one fired a wave, followed by the other fist's energy that was enough to push Kale through several columns, burying her under the rubble of the one she stopped at.

To Beranise's lack of surprise, Kale almost instantly recovered and came charging at her. She let her and as Kale's large hand grabbed her whole face, ready to smear her head on the ground, Beranise let the momentum carry them down, with her fists already glowing, where she punched Kale in the stomach, using both fists and the released energy, which stopped Kale's attack, causing her to drift up, as Beranise's head was a few inches from the ground. She grabbed Kale's thick forearm with both hands, yanking her back down and wrapped her legs around her neck, as she flipped over with her and slammed her, head-first, into the ground, pinning her, face-down, with one of her arms in a crucifix hold and Beranise's legs around her neck keeping her head down, as Kale could not use her free arm to help herself.

"Kale..." Caulifla whimpered, still weakened, as she saw her friend in peril. Beranise kept her down and Kale, despite all her rage and power, could not move, as Beranise had to put all of her own into it to keep her that way. Kale struggled, with deep, guttural grunts, like a wild beast being tired out by a merciless captor. "Ggh...g-get your hands...OFF OF HER!" Caulifla turned Super Saiyan 2, then, screaming on in anger, her power surged to a new height, as did the length of her hair, as she pushed to Super Saiyan 3, for the first time, to the pleasant surprise of Goku and awe of most of the others.

Back on Earth, Trunks, Goten, Chiaotzu and Pan were still fighting the dozen thieves, giving them far more of a challenge than any of them bargained for, as the new Super Saiyan 3 charged in to help her best friend, not knowing if her new power was even enough and not caring, either. She was too desperate and angry to care about anything but Kale.

_The home-invasion, at Capsule Corp, quickly turned into an all-out brawl, where the 9__th__ Universe's unfortunate crooks were finding out first-hand why the 7__th__ Universe was so troublesome, as the smallest of its fighters started pummeling them. At the same time, Beranise definitely livened things up, as well! By singling out and subduing a helpless Kale, she pushed Caulifla over the edge, making her reach Super Saiyan 3! But, what will she do against Beranise's clearly superior power? How will she even make her stop hurting her friend! And how will the thieves escape with the Dragon Radar, with Earth's mightiest children hot on their heels? It will all be written in Time, itself, next time, on Dragon Ball Super! _


	8. Episode 07

**Episode 07**

**Back on Track **

A ceaseless clashing of punches and kicks still sounded from inside Capsule Corp HQ, as the children and Chiaotzu were seemingly overwhelmed, but the hits they did receive showed their opponents' strength was not greater than their own and Pan, in particular, remained unhurt, through it all.

"Where did these guys come from!?" Trunks asked Goten, as they were fighting, back-to-back, three on one. It was quickly reduced to a one-on-one, as Pan suddenly came bombing in, ricocheted off of four of them, making their heads snap back and reel from the concussion, then, she bounced on, towards the others. "She's getting the hang of it." Trunks muttered, as the thieves could not keep up with Pan's completely unpredictable movements. Even Chiaotzu had to dodge out of her way, letting Pan hit his attackers in the same fashion, while he avoided the rest. The hallway they were in had destroyed shelves, shattered pots, holes in the wall, cracks in the floor and ceiling and was not in danger of collapsing, but it did not comfort Bulma very much when she ran in and saw it, also the melee that was happening. She gritted her teeth, growling in annoyance.

"Not in _my_ house you won't!" She slammed a fist on a control panel, at the entrance.

"Mom! I told you to-..." Trunks went silent, as hidden turrets folded out of the walls and ceiling, their laser sights all trained on the unknown wide-eyed targets. "Uh-oh."

Screams echoed throughout the house, drowned out by turret-fire and every one of the battered thieves barged out the nearest door, as lasers kept shooting after them, burning their tracks. The defenses let off and Pan flew out, shaking her fists as she made some threatening noises, after them. Trunks, Goten and Chiaotzu flew to join her. Bulma stood in the door, arms folded.

"That'll show them to break into _my_ house!" she muttered.

"Pan!" Videl came running, with Chi-Chi and met her halfway, as she flew to her, all happy.

"Goten!" Chi-Chi was also worried, but saw he was unharmed.

"We're okay, mom." Goten told her.

"Who _were_ those people?" Videl asked, as Bulma joined them.

"Oh, I know..." Bulma coldly said. "They're all _sorry_!"

"Those guys weren't normal." Trunks stated, eyes narrowed.

"Aha." Goten noted, also still glaring in the direction they fled.

"Huh?" Bulma turned to them, surprised.

…

Caulifla launched herself at Beranise, like a golden meteor, with a fist to her face, even making a shockwave, but to her browless shock, the gap between her newly awakened Super Saiyan 3 and Beranise's mastered 4, was so great, she did not even flinch or even look at her, the entire time. She kept her eyes locked on Kale, for good reason, not giving her any room, however small, to break free.

"If you can only use this power...when someone hurts your girlfriend...it won't always help you." she pressed down on her, struggling, but still calmly lectured her, to both her and Caulifla's surprise. "What if you're still not strong enough? Or they can just hold you down…" she pressed on her, again. "Like _this_." she emphasized. "They'll beat you and then her. Or maybe they'll start with her and beat her in front of you and you won't be able to do anything about it. You want that?" Kale's pupils started to show, as her rage subsided and she was staring at Caulifla, while her body shrank to her controlled Super Saiyan form, her energy evaporating around her. Caulifla saw her surprise, as Kale was looking her all over and she looked at herself to see the new form she did not even notice she reached. "And the same goes to you." Beranise told her and Caulifla looked back at her. "You could've still forced me off, with that form, even if you had to fight dirty." she said, still on top of Kale and Caulifla only considered her words for a moment, before getting fed up, again.

"Get off of her!" she yelled at Beranise, her voice deeper from the strain of the form. Beranise let go of Kale, with one hand and smacked Caulifla on the forehead, hard enough to make her jerk back and daze her.

"You're not listening." Beranise stated, not even raising her voice and Caulifla blinked a few times, before gritting her teeth and growling at her, while the others looked on, realizing Beranise was only testing them, as Goku, Beerus and Vegeta suspected almost from the start.

"Aww, it's over." one Zeno said, slightly saddened.

"Already over." The other was, too.

"Too soon."

"Too soon." they said.

"It seems the point of the exercise was made." the Grand Priest noted. "And progress, as well. Wouldn't you agree, Sires?"

"Aha! They got stronger, too!"

"Yeah! Way stronger!" the Zenos were happy enough with it. Beranise released Kale and stood, while Caulifla helped her friend up. Kale gazed at her, again, admiring her new strength, even though her own was already far above. Caulifla glared at Beranise.

"You could've just said you wanted to spar or something!" Caulifla was still angry at her.

"It wouldn't've got either of you worked up enough. And then I would've had to do what I did, anyway." Beranise folded her arms. "It's the only way a Saiyan can be pushed to do more. Some crap about a tingle in the back won't really get you past the start." she commented.

"A tingle...in the back?" Gohan repeated, making a face. He, Goku and Vegeta gave Cabba some odd looks, who nervously shrugged.

"Hmm..." Heles had her eyes on Kale. "She is much more beautiful like this, than in that hulking form." she mused to herself, then folded her arms. "Still, this behavior is ugly." she added, finding their unruliness disrespectful.

"The Grand Leaders seemed to like it." Brienne noted and Heles looked to see the Zenos got their excitement from it.

"Uh...s-sis...?" Kale gazed down at Caulifla, who remembered she was still powered up.

"Right..." Caulifla muttered and looked at her hands, then felt the length of her hair, moving to her face, where she touched her brows to find they were gone. "Weird." she said and closed her eyes to try and relax, reverted to normal and exhaled, then looked at Kale. The latter focused on calming down, as well and turned back to normal, then, somewhat uncharacteristically, she shot a glare at Beranise.

"Oh, good. Didn't think you can actually pull a face like that." Beranise commented. "You're gonna have to break outta that shy shell of yours, but it won't be any better if you turn into a hotheaded punk, either." she warned her, glancing at Caulifla.

"You wanna go, again!?" Caulifla balled her fist, glaring up her.

"Case in point." Beranise muttered, putting her hands on her hips and reverted to normal. Caulifla looked like she contemplated attacking her, since Beranise was not powered up, anymore, but decided against it, as that would not have brought her any satisfaction, fighting her when she was not at her strongest. Although, it did not bring her any, when she did. Not with the gap between them.

"She seems to be very focused on improving not only herself, but the others, as well." Whis noted. "And not being...distracted." he glanced at her and Vados briefly met his eyes, before she moved them back at Beranise. She took note of Beranise's stamina, how she was able to use her full power, after only a few short hours of almost completely exhausting herself against Champa, without being healed by her staff no less. Gohan stepped up to Cabba, still out of earshot from the three Saiyan women.

"She seems...off." he told Cabba. "Doesn't she?"

"Uh, y-yeah." Cabba glanced at him. "I know what you mean. I thought she'd be...you know, more herself, when they'd meet."

"Yeah. When we saw those two at the tournament, I thought they'd have to beat her off with sticks or...well...their fists. But, not like _this_." Gohan said. "She was in a bad place, when she left. And it looks like she still is." he observed. "But, I'm glad she didn't actually become a God of Destruction. She's definitely bitter about things. But, she hadn't lost herself, at least. And it's not like there's no coming back from that." he glanced at Vegeta, then, at Toppo. The former caught his look, from the corner of his eyes, as they watched Beranise talk to Caulifla and Kale.

"So...think you can coach your girlfriend, hotshot?" Beranise asked Caulifla, tone still serious, as was her face and the latter had her hands on her hips.

"I'm the _only_ one who can." Caulilfa stated, folding her arms and looked at Kale, who looked at her feet, in embarrassment. "Hey! Chin up, you!" Caulifla told her with a smirk and Kale immediately raised her head, in surprise and her friend's words kept it up.

"Can't say this get-together has been uneventful." Camparri commented, with some slight misgiving in his tone and Mosco made a few robotic sounds that made Ea jerk back, stunned by his directness.

"Lord Mosco, please...!" he tried to placate him. "The Grand Leaders seem to prefer their behavior...as uncivil as it is." he said as an aside, adjusting his glasses as he looked at the Saiyan women, Beranise, in particular. "Especially her." Mosco's long beeps, in return, sounded concerned, as Ea listened. "Hopefully, if there will be another, it will not have the same..._stakes_." he uncomfortably emphasized as he responded to his worry that the Zenos might get the idea to have another tournament, after seeing such showing off.

"Hey...!" Roshi turned to see Ganos, the young fighter he struggled to beat, from the 4th Universe, walking up to him, fists balled. He stopped, folding his arms, with a frown that turned to a smirk. "You owe me a rematch, old-timer."

"Rematch?" Roshi repeated and lightly chuckled. "I thought you would say you owe me _a beating_, but...I guess you know how it'll go. Hmhm." he pricked him, making it sound as if Ganos, himself, knew he would lose to him, again. He was briefly taken aback by his own slip and glared at him.

"You know what I mean!" he shook a fist at Roshi, but his expression softened and he dropped his hand, closing his yes. He relaxed and after a second, bowed in respect, which seemed to tick his god Quitela off some and it surprised the members from both universes.

"What's that fool doing bowing like that?" Quitela muttered. Ganos straightened up, as he opened his eyes and had a small, sly grin.

"Don't go kicking the bucket, until then." Ganos challengingly told him and Roshi internally groaned at that, but as Ganos turned and walked back, he had a small smile of his own.

"Goku is not the only one who seems to have an effect on the ones he fights." Whis noted, with a smile, still next to Vados.

"So, what...you want us to move in and train at that palace?" Caulifla was asking Beranise, hands on her hips.

"You're gonna." Beranise simply stated, arms folded, as it was not up for debate.

"Tch. And everyone says _I'm_ a piece of work." Caulifla folded her arms with a frown.

...

"Anything good on TV?" Trunks jokingly asked as he walked into the Time Vault, where Chronoa was watching the current-time and events unfold. She briefly turned to look at him, then back to the scroll.

"Very funny." she replied.

"So...how did your meeting go?" Trunks stopped to peek over her shoulder, which was not difficult. Chronoa sighed, put the scroll down and folded her arms.

"Not exactly how I imagined." she replied, almost saddened.

"Didn't she...you know...?" Trunks shrugged, skirting around saying certain words.

"Not really." Chronoa said. "She...has other things on her mind." she said, as the image on the scroll showed Beranise talking to Fuwa. Trunks straightened back up.

"Well…dethroning a God of Destruction's gonna change things for her, that's for sure." he said. "Have you ever seen someone do that?" he thought to ask, considering Chronoa's actual age.

"No." she sighed. "These are certainly interesting times." She sounded worried.

"Hah. That's funny, considering we go and send people _to _different times." Trunks joked and turned to leave. "Speaking of which, we're getting so many recruits, it's orientation day almost every day!" he exclaimed, as he went to deal with them, outside, while Chronoa continued to observe current events.

...

"You want to house them all in the palace?" Fuwa was asking.

"Yeah. And _you_, too." Beranise told him and Fuwa looked more scared than surprised by the idea of living so close to a Destroyer. "We can move the whole damn thing to your planet, if you want, but I'm not gonna take any chances." she glanced at Vados. "She's gotta be kidding me with this link-thing." she cursed her. "Who the hell would come up with this crap?" And whoever designed the universes like that. "What if one of these guys wants a cheap revenge by taking you out?" she briefly looked at Roh and Sidra, then away. "Some hired muscle won't even have to know why." she pointed out. "Not gonna take that chance." She was not giving him much choice, either. Beerus' ears twitched, as he overheard her and threw her a side-glance, though he would never resort to what she was worried about.

"Kee-kee..." Quitela snickered to himself as his sensitive ears also heard her. "Sounds like someone is worried about their Supreme Kai. Kee-kee-keh."

"Hm?" Kuru, their Supreme Kai, turned to him. "Lord Quitela, I could not hear who you're referring to, but I hope you're not considering proving their worries right. It would not go unnoticed. And it would be very suspicious, no matter who it would be." he cautioned him and Quitela growled in annoyance, as he knew, of course.

"How much longer do we have to stand here...hrr...and not blast those bastards from the 7th?" Lavender muttered, a lot less gracious about losing and being returned to life than most others.

"Quiet." Bergamo said, not even looking at him as he narrowed his eyes at the 7th and Goku. "We should be grateful, no matter how much we hate it."

"Everyone...!" the Grand Priest spoke. "Your attention, please!" All chatter ceased as they turned to him. "His Lordships were very pleased seeing all of you, again, after your performance at the tournament and with the...impromptu match we were treated to, as well. They have filled their quota for excitement and want to rest. They appreciate all of you coming and especially the effort some of you have made to improve relations between your universes. With that, they wish every one of you well and hope all of you continue to give them even more excitement, in the future." he said and turned to the Zenos.

"Yes. It was nice seeing everyone." one said.

"Aha. Was a lot of fun seeing you." the other echoed.

"You go and have more fun, now!" one waved.

"Yes. Go have fun, everyone!" the other followed, switching hands.

"Bye, bye!" They said in unison, as everyone bowed.

"See ya, Zees!" Goku waved, making Beerus twitch as he was bowing.

"See ya!" came their reply and they teleported themselves and their remaining guards away.

"It's time we go, then." Supreme Kai said, as Whis joined them. Cabba was still standing with them.

"Yep." Goku nodded, hands on his hips. Gohan looked over at Beranise, who practically emanated cold, but, at least, it was not the Power of Destruction, he thought. He sighed, hoping she knew what she was doing.

"Hey, Beranise!" she turned to Goku. "Yer gonna come by, sometimes, for practice, right?" He gave her a challenging smirk, not at all holding her earlier opinion of him against her.

"When I'm ready." Beranise told him, not having the same smile, which made Goku's fade.

"Hey! Cabba!" Caulifla yelled, like a doting big-sister.

"Oh, r-right...Until next time, everyone!" Cabba did a quick bow and hurried to join his universe.

"Kai-Kai." Fuwa said and they were gone. Goku threw one last smirk to Toppo and Jiren, before they, too, went, followed by the other universes.

"Now." Beerus muttered.

"Yes! Kai-Kai." Supreme Kai hastily obeyed, as well, leaving only those from the 9th universe there.

"Our men should be done by now." Roh said with anticipation, giving a sly look to Sidra.

"Then let us see." Sidra told him.

"Right away, My Lord! Kai-Kai." Roh said and the gathering hall was left almost empty, safe for the Grand Priest, who turned and disappeared as well.

...

Not a minute later, Roh was gaping in shock at the poor state his men stood before him. All of them were as tattered as their clothes, with their lumps and bruises showing on their entire body, some dizzily swaying and one even passed out, which made Roh's jaw hang even lower, but a single member, the one who was in the lab, took the Dragon Radar out of his pocket, presenting it to them and Roh's mouth closed, curving into a sinister grin, as he started chuckling to himself, his plan still on track.

**...**

"What happened, here, you guys?" Goku was staring at the busted door and ruined hallway, a minute after their return.

"Some low-lives tried to _burglarize_ our house!" Bulma said, arms folded and annoyed. "And Trunks tells me they weren't even normal." she added to their surprise.

"Yeah." Trunks nodded. "We were holding them off, until mom turned on the lasers and they made a run for it, but they were way above normal people."

"Above normal?" Gohan asked, worriedly.

"I don't think they were even from Earth." Trunks folded his arms.

"What?" Vegeta narrowed his eyes.

"They all had these masks and the same clothes, but I saw some of 'em had, like, scales and fur." Goku narrowed his eyes at that.

"Sounds like they could've been the same kind of guys that came after me and Frieza, after we made it to Baba's place." he guessed.

"And we still don't know who sent _them_." Gohan stated.

"We do know their leader was holding on to a small fraction of the power from a Destroyer." Whis reminded. "Which one, however, remains unclear."

"I have a few guesses." Beerus muttered, arm folded.

"So…" Goku scratched his head. "What did they burger, bulger, burr-gre-rize? Uh…steal!" Goku tilted his head, not trying anymore to pronounce the word.

"Well, I haven't exactly had time to check the whole house!" Bulma pointed out the obvious. "Gonna have to ask mom and dad to help, since they know better where all the valuables are."

"Trunks." Vegeta prompted him to go and speak to them and to help with the search.

"Yeah, sure. I'm on it." Trunks nodded and ran inside.

"Well, we won't know what they were after, until _that's_ done." Gohan said.

"First, they try to eliminate Kakarot and Frieza, before the tournament and now they _dare_ attack my family!" Vegeta got angry and clenched a fist. "When I find out which one of them is responsible, they'll be _one less_ Destroyer." he swore.

…

Some universes may not have found the sudden appearance of a Destroyer's domain over the Sacred Planet of the Kais to be unusual, but for the 6th Universe's Supreme Kai, the looming, lustrous edifice, on its own small world, was bound to be a rather unnerving sight, considering its current occupant. From the balcony, Beranise, arm folded, looked down at the blue and green world, its rivers and lakes, plains and verdurous mountain-ranges, through the vacuum of space that separated the atmospheres of their two worlds, as Vados stood at her side, with a staff in hand.

"Lovely view." Vados flatly stated.

"Wow. You're not even trying to sound like you actually care." Beranise muttered. "And if they'd make bad food, you'd just let someone turn it into space-dust. Or if they couldn't even be bothered, you'd just tap your little staff and do it yourself, right?" she leveled a glare at her, from the corner of her eyes, to which Vados had no reaction, other than to meet her eyes. "You didn't think that tournament was the _only_ thing I wanted to see?" she asked.

"I did not." Vados told her, with a hint of a smile and amusement in her voice and it actually surprised Beranise, whose glare only deepened in anger and annoyance.

"I want you to be that coy, when I'm slapping that smile off your face." she coldly told Vados, who merely turned to face the Kai Planet, not dignifying her threat with a response. "Call him!" Beranise suddenly barked and Vados glanced at her, before she located Fuwa with her staff, able to see him through a small projection.

"Greetings, Supreme Kai, Sir." Fuwa jumped. "Have you taken everyone home safely?"

"Oh..." he needed a moment to compose himself, after recognizing who was talking. "Yes." he nodded.

"Did you get my Squad?" He jumped at Beranise's louder and somewhat impatient voice.

"Y-yes! I-I am on Sadala, _right now_!" he emphasized for his own sake, to placate her. "I will have them ready, shortly."

"Who the heck're you talking to?" Pinch's high, growly voice was heard, yelling from near him, off the projection's screen and Fuwa turned to look at her, though they could only see him.

"Um...i-it's..." Fuwa stumbled to explain.

"I think he called you _shorty_!" They heard Shoga.

"What!?" Pinch snapped at Fuwa, making him flinch back in fear.

"Like you tower over her." Kurogo's teasing voice told Shoga.

"Cut it out, you three!" Kayen was heard. "Nobody called anyone anything. Now, stop threatening the Supreme Kai!"

"They better." Beranise muttered and saw Fuwa exhale some of his nervousness.

"His life seems to be even more stressful, now, than under Champa." Vados commented.

"And whose fault is _that_, again?" Beranise muttered, briefly giving her a side-glare, not even waiting to see Vados' non-reaction and looked back at Fuwa, who was frantically organizing things.

...

On Earth, in Gohan and Videl's home, the latter was serving dinner to him, herself and Pan, the latter high up in her baby-chair. They noticed Gohan was elsewhere in his thoughts.

"Hey..." Videl placed his plate in front of him and he came back, realizing he drifted off.

"Oh, sorry. Thanks." he apologetically said.

"Still thinking about the meeting?" Videl asked. "I thought you said she'd be okay."

"I know." Gohan sighed. "But, the way she just was and...the look she gave the Grand Zenos, plus how she showed up...she's just...really not in a good place right now."

"Well...she did tell you it won't keep her from visiting." Videl glanced at Pan, as she said it.

"She sounded like it, at least." Gohan could be positive about that. "It's not like she'd be breaking any rules they have for Destroyers. Not that we know of, anyway. And she's not actually one."

"I hope she won't get herself into trouble with them." Videl looked down. "I know she's just trying to protect us, but...there's gotta be more to it." Gohan raised his gaze, alarmed that Videl suspected something. "I could see it, before you went to the tournament. Something was wrong." She caught Gohan's expression, who averted his eyes, as if he had something to say, but could not. "I'm right, aren't I?" she leaned slightly closer, worriedly. "What is it? Tell me!" she pleaded and Gohan faced her, sighing.

"Okay. But, you can't tell anyone else." Gohan told her, suddenly serious and Videl really wondered what it could be, then.

...

Beranise and Vados were still waiting and turned their heads when Caulifla and Kale came out onto the balcony to join them.

"Pretty big place. I could get used to this." Caulifla smirked.

"You're gonna." Beranise told her and turned back towards the planet, as Caulifla frowned at her.

"Okay...what the heck is your deal?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips, but got no answer and got annoyed. She leaned forward. "Hey!" she tried to get her attention back. "Huh?" But, Fuwa's sudden appearance, with seven female Saiyans, made her take a step back, in surprise, letting her hands down and Beranise turned around with Vados to see the squad standing there with backpacks, facing the other two women. "Who're _they_?" Caulifla asked, with an unimpressed frown.

"Who're _we_?" Pinche mimicked her. "Who're you, _bushy_?"

"_Bushy_?" Caulifla easily took offense. "Look who's talking! Your hair's bigger than _you_, runt!"

"At least, mine doesn't look like a big plant!" Pinch argued.

"Yeah. It reminds me of something that _died_, recently, instead!" Caulifla shot back and Pinch growled, ready to have at her, but jumped.

"Shut up, both of you!" From Beranise's voice behind her and turned with the others. Fuwa was shocked to see where they were.

"You...y-you have moved the palace, already!" When he saw they were at the Planet of the Kais. Kayen and all the squad looked at Beranise.

"Ma'am..." Kayen acknowledged her and got an annoyed grunt with a mild glare from her, at the formality, again. She cast her gaze at the ground and as it briefly lingered on Beranise's exposed abdomen, she also noticed her new attire, but most of all her tail. Kayen blinked at it, in confusion. Beranise followed her eyes and saw what they were all staring at.

"Oh, right. You haven't seen this, yet." she muttered, unfolding her arms and put her hands on her hips.

"You got a _tail_?" Pinch dumbly leaned forward. Beranise quick-stepped in front of her, tail whipping Pinch on the forehead that knocked her on her rear, to the surprise of most of them, except Vados. Pinch sat up, staring, as she put a hand over the reddened line across where Beranise hit her.

"Wow! That thing's strong." Kurogo exclaimed.

"Alright, listen up!" Beranise raised her voice, as Pinch was still sitting. "As soon as you get settled in, you're gonna start training." Her tail kept slowly going from side to side. "And it's gonna be different from what any of you are used to." They could not help but follow it with their eyes and she saw it. She wrapped her tail around her waist and it made them look up to see her glare. There was a second of silence, before she leaned forward. "Get to it!" Pinch jumped to her feet, scurrying inside with the rest, as Caulifla and Kale had to step out of their way.

"I will show them the quarters that have been prepared." Vados said, walking after them, leaving Fuwa, Caulifla and Kale with her, as the seven actually did not have any idea where they were going, but away from an angry Beranise was right as any, as they followed her orders.

"You, too." Beranise told the two of them, fixing Caulifla with a look, who dammed all the cusses and complaints she might have wanted to throw at her behind a frown, as she turned with Kale to follow the others. Beranise was left alone with Fuwa, who nervously stood, glancing around.

"What should _I_ do?" he asked, waiting for orders.

"Go back down there and do whatever you want." Beranise nodded behind her, at the planet, with a shrug. "Just don't die." she warned him.

"Um...yes!" Fuwa bowed and disappeared, using his instantaneous movement to return to the planet, practically escaping, as soon as he was allowed. Beranise turned towards the planet, hopped on the stone handrail and sat, cross-legged, closing her eyes, with her tail dangling.

...

Unbeknownst to the beings of the 6th and 7th Universes, Roh had been busy following the radar to the Super Dragon Balls that were strewn across their universes. He was traveling across space, with Mojito, as the device was set to the widest sensitivity, considering the distance they had to cover and a blip just appeared on the small display, making Roh's smirk larger. Mojito's faint smile remained the same, as he was already taking pleasure in their predictably inevitable failure and the punishment that would follow. He was rid of the 9th Universe and those in charge of it, for a short while, but due to the wish 17 made, everything was back to how it had been. Now, he could only amuse himself by watching them not learn from their mistakes.

_Keeping the promise she made to the excited Zenos and demonstrating her growing power, Beranise gathered her strongest recruits and parked her palace over the already exhausted Supreme Kai's planet, making his life ironically more uncomfortable, considering the cosmic bond between them. Meanwhile, with the successfully stolen Dragan Radar, Roh, the insidious Supreme Kai of the 9__th__ Universe was personally seeing to finding the Super Dragon Balls and to resurrecting Cell, as those on Earth still had no idea it was even happening. And if it worked, just how powerful Cell could become? And will Goku and the others have enough time on their hands to be ready, while being completely oblivious to it? The clock has started ticking on Dragon Ball Super! _


	9. Episode 08

**Episode 08 **

**In The Deep End**

Beerus was sitting on the balcony of his palace, also cross-legged, but with his head propped up by his right elbow on his knee. His tail slowly whipped about, behind him, as he watched Goku and Vegeta spar with Whis, both using their maximum power, Goku his Super Saiyan Blue with Kaioken x20 and Vegeta his Royal Blue form. They were still far from even coming close to landing a hit on him, but Whis himself felt they were further along than before, their speed and force considerably higher and their stamina to sustain said forms had also improved. The Oracle Fish ducked back inside the pond, afraid of just their shockwaves, as they passed over. But, surprisingly they were barely causing any ripples on the water's surface, which Whis himself had noted, with a smile. They were not letting any of their energy wastefully leak into the environment, as they transferred all of it into the point of their contact, not only mindful of their surroundings and the force they wielded, but of focusing it.

"I must say, your new power and control is an impressive step up from where you were, before the tournament." he commended them, as he casually avoided and blocked their attacks.

"But, you still can't take us seriously, can you?" Goku smirked, before attacking, as it was obvious, whereas Vegeta gritted his teeth in annoyance, taking stock without any humor, unlike his rival.

"Oh, I would not say I'm not taking you seriously." Whis smiled, as they kept trying. "You merely have quite a ways to go, even considering the natural ability of Saiyans." he repeated, but the moment Beranise attacked Vados flashed across his mind and his smile briefly faded. _"However, it would be unwise to think it cannot happen."_ he thought to himself, even as he blocked both of their fists with his hands, then, he grabbed and threw them against each other, hard enough to stop them for a few seconds, while they recovered from the hit. Beerus had been thinking the same, while they reengaged, as he watched and listened. From one day to the next, all three of the full-blooded Saiyans from his universe attained power rivalling and surpassing that of the gods. One of their own, his brother, even died to one of them, showing even more proof that the Saiyans had far greater potential than he initially gave them credit for. Concerning his brother and Beranise, he was not in mourning, nor was he angry, but the feeling was certainly bothering him, whether it was the sudden absence of some innate connection to kin or perhaps worry that his own, otherwise immortal existence, could eventually end, even without the Supreme Kai's demise.

"I wonder if Beranise is training, too, right now." Goku smirked. "Their fight really got me pumped."

"Naturally." Whis said with a small smile, unsurprised, as they paused. "And here you both are, not an hour later, despite reservations from your wives." he pointed out.

"Hey, if one of the gods is planning something, we gotta be ready, right." Goku stated, glancing at Vegeta, whose silent agreement was a glare.

"Yes, incidentally that was a good excuse to immediately continue your training, even though you have already had it for today." Whis noted. "You have been spending even more time away from home, since the tournament."

"_Now_, you're just starting to sound like our wives." Goku uncomfortably pointed out and resumed.

…

The Super Seven approached the balcony, with Caulifla and Kale, led by Vados. Even before they made it outside, she felt the same sensation as before, when they were traveling with the Tube. It was also familiar to the rest, as well. Beranise was trying to focus herself into the state of Ultra Instinct by concentrating on her presence, despite either one of them being able to actually see the other, as Beranise was still sitting where she had been, when Vados and the others walked outside. The latter was somewhat surprised Beranise was able to project her intentions as such, without any direct line of sight on her, for she could not have possibly sense the presence of Angels, yet. Or at least it is what Vados told herself. Beranise's mind was improving, Vados thought, subtly narrowing her eyes, as they came up to her. Again, she was not sure if Beranise was going to attack her in the next fraction of a second or not. Beranise slowly opened her silver eyes that reverted to normal, by the time she turned her head to look at Vados, from the corner of her eyes, before they moved to the others. She stood, turned around and hopped down, facing them.

"If everyone's done settling in, we can get started. If not, we can get started." she stated, folding her arms, giving them no alternatives.

"So...who're _they_?" Pinch pointed at Caulifla and Kale, still annoyed with the former and they turned towards each other, fists balled. Beranise rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"The short-stack with the mouth is Caulilfa..." she muttered and the latter directed her glare towards her. "And the _less_ shorter one is Kale. Saiyans like you." she looked at the Seven. "You're just beefier than the average. Still short." she commented, with a shrug, as if that was some striking difference.

"What's with you and people's _height_?" Caulifla made a face as she put her hands on her hips.

"She has a preference." Vados flatly stated and gave Beranise the hint of a coy side-glance, who either did not notice or did not care, as her expression remained the same.

"_Preference?"_ Caulifla tilted her head as she repeated, then blinked, before she understood, mouth agape, along with everyone else's.

"Well, that explains it." Trunks commented from over Chronoa's shoulder, making her jump and turn.

"Trunks!" she flailed her fists. "You said you were going!" she yelled, standing on her toes.

"Any other questions?" Beranise asked, with an almost bored face and got no immediate response. Kayen was first to process the small personal detail and spoke.

"What will be different about our training?" she asked and Vados glanced at Beranise, not knowing what she was planning, either.

"Open it." Beranise looked at her and Vados raised a brow.

"Oh." she realized her plans for their training and let the staff float on its own.

"Inside, you're gonna stay _normal_ and attack the person closest to you, as soon as you can move. If they already have someone, then, whoever's the closest and so on. And if your opponent still can't fight back, you _don't stop_!" she leveled a glare at them to make it clear. "You hit them until _they _stop you!" she said to their shock and as Vados was already moving her staff to them, some had questions.

"Inside _where_?" Pinch cocked her head.

"And whaddoyou mean _as soon as we can m_-…?" Caulifla was cut off, as they were taken inside the pocket dimension. Vados slightly smiled down at Beranise, who raised a brow.

"What?" She could see Vados was amused by something.

"You have not told them anything." Vados stated.

"So? You haven't told _me_." Beranise recalled.

"Exactly." Vados said, having thought it was the best way to train someone like Beranise and the latter knew that, but she also realized she was not only using the same method, but being just like Vados, to her annoyance.

"It's the best way to train." she begrudgingly noted, looking at the glowing portal of the other dimension, wherein the trainees were all trapped by the stifling, binding energy they suddenly found themselves in.

"Why that...!" Caulifla tried to curse Beranise, but could not move anything, except her mouth and eyes. "Hgh." she struggled. "Hnngh. What the hell? Hgh. What is this!?" she kept trying to budge.

"I...eghn...I can't move!" Kale exclaimed.

"Is this...what she meant?" Kurogo asked, as they started to catch on.

"Why...ghh...why wouldn't she tell us?" Shoga strained herself, with everyone else, except Kayen and Perille, who were closest to each other and calmer than the rest.

"This must be...part of the training." Kayen deduced. "We have to learn how to move, first. Then..." she glanced around as well as she could, locking eyes with Perille, knowing they would have to fight and that if one of them still could not move, they would be at the mercy of other. Because of their near altercation, Caulifla and Pinch were closest to each other, not to their surprise, but to Kale's, instead, who was farther away from everyone else. Nori was closest to Shirogo, while Kurogo was nearest to Shoga. None of the pairings ended up having particularly opposing personalities, but to half of them, it actually presented a challenge, as they would find out just how far they were willing to go with attacking a helpless opponent. Kayen, Perille, Shirogo and Nori would learn that about themselves, while Pinch, Shoga, Kurogo and Caulifla were naturally more aggressive, thus, they would have to acclimatize faster than their opponent, if they did not want to be beaten on and be humiliated by them, as their pride would not stand for that. Kale, having been left alone to watch her friend struggle, would need to gain control over her energy, as well as her emotions.

"This is nuts!" Pinch whined. "How're we supposed to even move in this place?" She could barely wiggle.

"I can barely breathe..." Shirogo whispered. "The air is so heavy."

"It's like someone turned up the gravity." Caulifla said.

"How can someone turn up _gravity_!?" Pinch incredulously exclaimed.

"Don't you wimps have things like that in that lame Defense Force of yours?" Caulifla shot back.

_"Wimps!?"_ Pinch could not even flail at her. "You're the one, who can't even move!" she pointed out.

"Neither can _you_!" Caulifla argued.

"There must be a key to this." Kayen calmly stated, over their noise and Perille could barely nod in agreement.

…

"Are you not going to join them?" Vados asked Beranise, who immediately turned and sat, again, as soon as they disappeared, folding her arms. She did not answer Vados, who could see she was back to her own training, emptying every thought, except what was needed. Vados lifted up from the ground and slowly floated in front of her. She waited, moved to her side, over to the other, waiting more, before going behind her, then, went back in front of her. Seeing her movement from the shifting light through her lids, as Vados briefly cast a shadow on her, Beranise opened her eyes, narrowing them at her, in annoyance and Vados had a small smile. "You were doing better, before." she stated, referring to when they came out onto the balcony. Beranise's glare deepened and she closed her eyes.

"Shut up..." she muttered. "Go down to the pond and stay there." Beranise told her and Vados subtly raised a brow, before obeying the odd order and flew down to the body of water. On second thought, though, she figured the reason behind it was so that Beranise could try and focus on her, while she was further away and not merely so she could not speak to her. She stood near the pond, which was much larger than the one Beerus had, likely from Champa's desire to have everything his brother had, but bigger. Instead of an Oracle Fish, however, bright orange Koi thrived in it that Vados was observing. They seemed agitated, though she knew they could not possibly sense any danger from her presence.

...

"I...can't...I can't even blink!" Pinch strained her wide eyes.

"Hard to move all that hair on your brows?" Caulifla grinned at her.

"Why, you...!" Pinch could not exactly move. Caulifla's hands were already raised halfway, when they entered. She struggled just to point her index-finger at Pinch and fired a weak blast, hitting her in the thigh. "Oww! HEY!" Pinch whined as Caulifla laughed to herself.

Kayen tried to figure out the solution, amidst their incessant bickering, recalling anything Beranise had said or done that could give her a clue about what to do. She remembered the way she stood between them, trying to focus on something none of them understood, yet. But, maybe they needed something similar and closing her eyes she intuitively tried to concentrate on her environment first, then, when that was not working, on herself. Her energy. And she immediately felt some of the weight from the dimension lift from her. She felt her hands move and she drifted upwards, as if rising towards the surface of a suffocating ocean. Perille watched with more intrigue than her flat expression actually showed, as Kayen stopped and opened her eyes to look at herself. She could slowly, with some more focus, raise her hands in front of herself to inspect them, before she pulled her legs up to her chest, let them down, curled up into a ball, again, then she stopped.

"I think it's our energy!" she exclaimed and the others stopped struggling to listen. "Whatever this place is, we can't move, unless we control our energy better!" she deduced.

"Better?" Caulifla incredulously asked. "Pretty sure every one of us can control their energy."

"Not like this." Kayen stated, looking at herself. None of them had ever attempted finer control. She was surprised by Perille floating up to her, who was also getting used to it. Looking at her reminded Kayen that they would have to start fighting, soon, whether they were both ready or not. And the others, namely Nori and Shirogo were first to follow, being able to slowly drift around, while the more combustible ones, Kurogo, Shoga, Pinch and Caulifla were having difficulties. Kale watched the latter, intently, taking glances at the others, so she could muster some will of her own to try and to her surprise, she was doing almost as well as the first half of them, being able to draw her limbs to herself. She floated like a ball, with a slow spin, when Caulifla noticed her progress and her own frustration faded.

"Hey! You go, girl!" she complemented Kale, with a smirk, who stopped to stare at her, upside down and frozen in place, from the sudden loss of concentration, which Caulifla sheepishly noted was her own fault and she guffawed at it, as Kale turned red from embarrassment. Caulifla then tried to concentrate, as well, closing her eyes.

"I can do this." she muttered to herself and Pinch quickly followed suit, not wanting to lag behind her. She could shut her eyes, then relaxed some of the tenseness within her muscles and mind. At the same time, the pressure that was holding her lessened with it and all of them felt the same thing. The energy around them was not simply bending to their will, allowing them to move, but entering their being, to be absorbed. First they tried simple movement, then flight, followed by melee attacks, but not all of them progressed at the same pace, which led to what Beranise told them they would have to do.

Kayen hesitated, looking at Perille, but to her surprise the latter rushed her, first, elbowing her in the stomach, before she moved behind her, from under her and before Kayen could fully turn, clockwise, Perille side-kicked her from the left, where she was blind, hitting her in the back of the head, still slower than they could otherwise move and so Kayen was unable to block it, even though she could sense her movements, through the dense fog of the energy they were in. She fell forward and saw Perille descend below her, again, then rose with an uppercut aimed at her stomach, which Kayen caught with both her hands, gritting her teeth, whereas Perille's face showed she had no qualms about keeping up her attack, as she seemed to be more in control. Kayen had to respond faster if she hoped to stop her assault. She pushed her away, then raised her forearms to block more of her punches, dodging to the side, after just one, making the second miss, as she glided past Perille's guard to bring a fist across her face, with more force than she intended, which surprised even the latter some and Kayen's eyes widened, when a thin rivulet of blood slowly started to trickle from the side of Perille's mouth.

"I-I'm sorry..." Kayen told her, but Perille merely turned to face her, face turning passive.

"That's _your_ problem." she simply stated and Kayen raised a brow at her words, before being pushed back by a fast, precise, straight-forward fist into her chest, making her wince from the pain she felt, even through her chest-plate and if she had been a being with weaker constitution, her breathing might have even stopped, as well. She did not have time to place a hand over it, as she had to use her hands to drive away another punch, from slightly above her, where Perille had moved. Kayen learned, in their few days of training, Perille was adept at very precise attacks, concentrated onto the smallest possible surface on her opponents' body, that she could use with literally disabling effectiveness. Cabba said it reminded him of the fighting-style of the feared assassin Hit. And so did Perille's somewhat stoic personality, Kayen recalled him saying.

Nori was on the defensive, against Shirogo, who seemed to be pulling her punches, then attempted to knee her in the stomach, but Nori kicked her knee back down, jumped up from it and kicked her in the forehead, with the toe of her boots, making Shirogo's head snap back. She straightened back up, staring at Nori, for the unexpected retaliation.

"That was...a weird move, there." Shirogo looked at her strangely, feeling her forehead.

"It...went a little higher than I wanted it to." Nori awkwardly admitted she was actually aiming for her face and Shirogo gaped at her, secretly glad she missed.

Kurogo and Shoga were excited to finally have at each other. The latter got kicked away, hit in the chest and her growl turned into a grin as she charged a potent, red blast, in her left hand and lobbed it, like a bomb, but to her surprise, it overshot her intended target, by a lot, as she still lacked control over energy blasts, inside the dimension, as she found out. The others halted in the fight, as they saw the ball was falling between them and they scattered, moments before it exploded. Kurogo was staring over her shoulder at it and turned back to see Shoga was also shocked at her own flub.

"Damn you, I nearly had it!" Pinch flailed her fists at her, for interrupting her, as she was able to move and tried a few punches and kicks in the direction she was facing, surprising herself and alarming Caulifla, when she succeeded.

"Ha!" Pinch exclaimed, triumphantly and turned towards Caulifla, with a snide smirk, who gritted her teeth, knowing she was not going to go easy on her, at all.

…

Vados was still watching the fishes, when their erratic swimming began to slow down and they were soon peacefully drifting around, as if they were also affected by the mood around them, which had shifted, as Vados felt, when she turned to look back up at Beranise. The latter managed to force any burdening thought out of her mind, including any hostility and yet, Vados could tell she was still directing some at her, as if she was pinging her with it, like a radar, to sense her.

…

While still slow in her movements, Pinch's attacks hit Caulifla hard, making her angrier with every one and Kale more worried, as she watched her get bruised. Caulifla could not focus from it all and was unable to defend herself, while Pinch was all too happy to beat down on her, gloating with a grin.

"What'sa matter?" she mockingly asked, not relenting. "Huh!?" She hit her, again.

"You, little..." Caulifla took it, along with the pain. Kale, on the other hand, was desperate to help.

"Caulifla!" She was on the verge of tears. "Stop it!" she yelled, but Pinch did not. "Stop hurting her!" Her voice was breaking and Caulifla's body was going to, as well, if she did not do something.

"It...it's okay, Kale!" Caulifla managed to say, between hits and got kicked away, in the face, bleeding from the mouth. "I'm okay!" she muttered and spat blood to the side.

"No, no you're hurt!" Kale could plainly see.

"I can take it! Just calm down!" Caulifla told her, even as she was getting hit.

"Hey! You're seriously ignoring me!?" Pinch got ticked off with the lack of attention to her. Caulifla tried shutting her out, as she closed her eyes to focus on moving, all the while getting treated like a punching bag. Kale started to cry and because of her unbridled emotions, she could not even concentrate enough to be able to move. They were both helpless, just as Beranise warned.

"Stop it!" Kale cried and Caulilfa narrowed her closed eyes, shutting them tighter, as she could feel Kale was about to snap, again.

"LEAVE HER..." Kale's voice suddenly deepened. "ALOOONE!" And her energy exploded, along with her muscles. The very air shifted several times, permeated by the uncontrolled energy, as she grew to her berserk form. The wave of power from her nearly pushed everyone away, as they shielded themselves from it.

"What the...-!?" Kayen peered from behind her forearms, along with the others at the untamed beast the shy, unassuming girl had turned into.

"Damn..." Caulifla muttered in worry.

"Holy crap!" Pinch exclaimed and got rattled to the core, when it fixated on her.

"YOU! YOU'LL PAY FOR HURTING HER! WITH YOUR LIFE!" Kale bellowed, but found, to everyone's relief, she could not move and she struggled, growing frustrated.

"Good thing she can't move!" Shirogo noted, out loud, but soon as she said it, Kale roared, showering everything around her with potent energy blasts they could not completely avoid and when they got hit, they felt it, even as they tried to block them. Kale's unbelievably long scream and onslaught eventually ended, as her seemingly infinite lung-capacity let out all the air, stopping her attack. The others recovered, wincing from the considerable stinging damage they took, as Kale audibly struggled to move, like a savage brute, unable to think and see what was holding her, growling and screaming.

"She's...she's a monster." Kurogo fearfully stated.

"Hey, don't you _dare_ call her that!" Caulifla shut her up.

"Her power..." Kayen started. "It's..." She could barely believe it. "It's almost as high as what we felt when..." When Beranise fought Champa, they all thought, finishing it in their heads, as their eyes wavered, marveling, in fear, at the girl's might.

"She just can't control it." Caulifla stated, feeling sorry for her friend and went to her, or she would have, except she still had trouble moving. "Ghh...damn this place..." she cursed it. "Kale!" she called to her. "You gotta calm down!" she slowly raised and spread her arms, getting her attention. "Look! I'm fine!" she showed her. "It's gotta take a lot more than a little beating to smart me. You know that!" she tried to reach her, figuratively. "Come back to me, girl!" she pleaded with her and Kale's eyes widened, as her wild energy began to die down and she quivered. "Just let it go and come back..." Caulifla soothingly told her. "I need you!" Her words were helping. "If I can do it, _you_ can. And if you can do it, then _I_ can! Come on!" Kale's tears still sparkled in the dimming light of her aura that slowly shifted, as she closed her eyes and her hair settled some, in its plain Super-form, while her body shrank back to the still tastefully muscled state, where she had control. "That's it! You're doing it!" Caulifla cheered her and attempted to do the same. "Now, it's my turn." she said and as Kale slowly opened her eyes, she saw her friend lift up, eyes closed, gliding over to her. Caulifla opened her eyes, as she went in front of her and smirked, placing her hands on the side of Kale's cheeks. "Hey." she quietly greeted her friend and chuckled. "There you go. Look at you!" she exclaimed, referring to both her success and appearance, unknowingly sharing Heles' opinion.

"I'm sorry..." Kale shamefully muttered, lowering her gaze.

"Hey...hey..." Caulifla made her look up at her. "It's okay. You were _way_ faster reining it in than anytime, before!" she pointed out. "It's working. You're gonna own this." she promised her and Kale smiled.

…

Back outside, Vados still waited by the pond.

A single fish jumped from the water that she turned to see, before her eyes widened and she whipped around, with a hand raised, catching Beranise's fist in it, who crossed the distance between them, from the balcony, in that small instant and was glowering at her, as if her fist was the iron-sight of a gun she was aiming down on, with her silver eyes, into Vados' unflinching face. She turned to glance back at the fish, with her free hand behind her back, as she held Beranise's fist, to see they were calmly going about their business, uninterrupted. Then they suddenly scattered as Vados felt Beranise's irritation, before a frown on her face even showed it and Vados raised her other hand to catch the other fist Beranise raised at her but did not use. The latter bared her teeth, gritting them, as she struggled in her hold and her silver eyes reverted to normal.

"Still not as effective as the first time." Vados critiqued Beranise, but was not going to tell her any more than that, least of all what her mistake was, however, Beranise already knew what it was and Vados knew that she knew. "What could be the problem, I wonder." Vados teased her with it, instead and it only angered Beranise, thus, adding to the baggage that was the burden itself. Vados released her fist at the same time Beranise attempted to pull it and she landed on the ground, a few paces back, glaring at her, angrier at her than she was disappointed with herself and they both knew it. "Shall we see how they are faring?" Vados asked, in her normal tone. Beranise frowned and turned to fly back to the balcony. Vados followed her. She glanced back at the fish, omitting that while Beranise's attacks did not come as close to hitting her as they did the first time, she did have more control over her energy, similarly to Goku and Vegeta, but her mind, which had become one-tracked, still prevented her from fully using even just the imperfect Ultra Instinct. She was progressing faster than anyone Vados had ever seen, but her vendetta was weighing her down. At the same time, Vados thought, thinking back to the tournament, focusing on her and how much she wanted to beat her, was the very thing that kept triggering Beranise to enter the state, since. It was certainly an unusual balance of mind, but it actually served the Saiyans in pushing themselves further. Goku was not calm or without negative thoughts and emotions, after Jiren targeted his friends and yet, he could sustain the perfected form. Vegeta cast nothing aside that drove him and overcame the Power of Destruction, through a new level of power, fueled by something different than the others. Vados found herself reflecting on it for longer than she intended, as she recalled all their moments, as they made it back to the balcony.

When they entered the dimension, they were greeted by the sight of what almost looked like Caulifla and Kale slow-dancing. They held each other by the forearm and drifted in all directions, controlling their energy together, while the others watched. Beranise noted they were somewhat banged up, before they noticed her and Vados, almost looking like deer in the headlights.

"And why're all of you just floating around?" Beranise asked, somewhat reprimandingly.

"W-we were..." Kayen started.

"Get back to it!" Beranise cut her off, not any less harshly, making her flinch, even though she could see they had been fighting, like they were told to and they quickly formed pairs, facing each other, again, the same way as before, with an exception.

"Hey! You! We got a score to settle!" Caulifla yelled from where she was with a frowning Kale, raising a fist towards a surprised Pinch, while still holding onto her friend. Then she directed her fist towards Beranise. "And _you_! You're a total jerk! You know that!? Throwing us in this place, just like that! Are you outta your mind!?" she railed on her and Beranise was already irked from her failed attempt at Vados, so she was not as unfazed by it as before.

"None of you've been through any real training, before." she reminded all of them. "I told you the only way a Saiyan can get better is if they get thrown in on the deep end. You wanna get stronger? You're not gonna get a fair warning! Get used it!" she snapped at her. Kayen glanced at Beranise, seeing she was tenser than before and her words hit her, along with a fist, across her face, from her blind-side. She briefly stared at Perille, who unapologetically continued to attack her, immediately taking the lesson and applying it in practice, forcing her on the defensive. Caulifla muttered under her breath.

"Something's really up her-..."

"M-maybe we should keep going." Kale suggested, getting her attention back and Caulifla sighed.

"Yeah, okay." She faced her, but remembered something else. "Wait a sec..." She turned towards Pinch. "I owe someone a beating, first!" she raised her voice and Pinch had to take a defensive stance, after briefly thinking Caulifla already forgot about her. "You're gonna be okay?" Caulifla turned to Kale, who nodded, still somewhat concerned. Before she could refocus on Pinch, however, Kale was taken from in front of her by Beranise, who rammed into Kale, locking hands with her, as she separated her from Caulifla, who looked on in surprise. "Hey! What'd'you think you're doing!" she yelled after them and Pinch relaxed, again, as Beranise pushed Kale further out, until the latter remembered her strength and easily stopped her. Beranise flinched from the pain in her hands Kale's grip was giving her and turned Super Saiyan, but as they glared each other down, she found Kale was still stronger.

"Not bad...for a mousy little thing like you!" she complimented her, struggling some. "I dunno what makes your power different...but you're even tougher than a normal Super Saiyan." she told her and though Kale was not entirely unaware of the scale of her unusual power, she was still not confident enough in its use and in herself to gauge her place among the rest. She was holding off Beranise, while her own Super Saiyan form was unrefined. Caulifla scoffed after them and finally turned to Pinch.

"Alright..."she muttered. "You got this girl." she quietly proclaimed her faith in her friend. "And I got mine." she added and let out a battle cry, powering up and posturing, before she launched herself at Pinch, who quickly braced herself, for the third time. Caulifla immediately gained the upper-hand, as her attacks were faster than Pinch's defense, however, she became too excited about getting her revenge and her limbs would randomly slow in their movement from her loss of focus on her energy-control. Pinch could counter her, in those moments and Caulifla gritted her teeth as she was rebuffed and hit a few times, here and there, but she gradually started to regain more control over herself and the fight, with every block and attack. It was Pinch, who got in a bind as her frustration and anger were interfering with her concentration more than her elation and satisfaction did, from when she could beat on Caulifla without any opposition. She could still pace herself, then, as her movements were still slow, but now, her opponent was getting used to the peculiar properties of the dimension, faster than her or any one of them, it seemed. Caulifla went from a poor start to showcasing her higher aptitude for learning, much to Pinch's pain, as all the damage she did to her, was being revisited on her. Kale looked over Beranise's shoulder, at Caulifla, growing a small smile, but it went away as quickly as the left-hook she could barely pull her face away from.

"Hmph." Beranise grunted. "I thought that was gonna hit." She was not disappointed, though, as Kale was quickly improving, as well. "But, this will..." she said and went Super Saiyan 2. Kale had a small frown, as she felt the sudden gap in power between them, although her own was still stifled, not only by her lack of training, but by the dimension, as well, to which she was still not completely used to. And if her first-stage Super Saiyan form could be perfected, it could potentially more than lessen the gap that was proving to be too wide, at the moment, as Beranise was easily driving in her fists, elbows, knees and feet, through her guard. However, the latter could also feel Kale's energy was more rapidly rising, as she withstood her assault more with every hit. Both of them knew she could lose control if she took her transformation to its bulkier stages, but Kale also understood Beranise was putting her in the deeper end to test her limits that neither of them knew, yet. After a particularly hard punch to her own rocky abs, Kale snarled, drawing her clenched fists behind her and fired a charged blast, straight from her chest, without even moving any of her hands, into Beranise's face, who was caught off-guard by the lack of any pose that would have been an indication for such an attack. "Ugh!" she exclaimed as she was momentarily blinded and Kale slapped her palms together, hitting her ears, almost the same way Beranise did to her, who grunted, again, from the sudden pain, her ears ringing and Kale could punch away at her for a few long seconds.

Instead of completely losing her senses, however, Beranise quickly shoved down all annoyance she felt, along with any thought on how to respond and kept her eyes closed, reverting to normal. She took Kale's next two punches, but the third missed, as Beranise's form flowed and twisted around Kale's flurry of attacks, as if she was living liquid, mercurial in her movements. Kale suddenly felt herself spinning forward, as Beranise kicked her legs backwards, out from under her, with a counter-clockwise reverse sweeping kick, having already moved behind her, then, under her and stopped her spin, turning inwards, from the kick, with a right-fist to her stomach, all in the same fraction of a second. Beranise's opened eyes turned from silver back to normal, as her fist was still in Kale's stomach and the latter's eyes nearly glazed over, every air escaping her lungs, as she reverted to normal from the sheer force of the single punch. She went lax and slumped onto Beranise's right shoulder, nearly unconscious, but a weak whimper showed she was awake and in incredible pain. Her body was unable to handle it. Vados took note of Beranise's very brief, but considerably more efficient use of an imperfect Ultra Instinct.

Caulilfla felt her best friend's energy took a near complete nose-dive and looked over to see she was held by Beranise, with her eyes, rolled into the back of her head, slowly closing on their own, as she winked out. "Kale!" Caulifla exclaimed. "What did you do to her!?" she demanded to know, ready to attack, as she flew over to them, leaving a panting, bruised up Pinch behind, as if she was a toy Caulifla suddenly lost interest in.

"Relax...!" Beranise yelled, as Caulifla came over. "She's just out." she told her, both looking at Kale. "She did good."

Caulifla was surprised at the compliment from her and Beranise shrugged the shoulder Kale was on, making her roll off, into her right arm and she held her for Caulifla, who took her into her arms, as Vados was watching them.

_"Whenever she tries to consciously use it, it is weaker, because of it. But, when she is cornered and it comes from a need, unconsciously, it is better."_ Vados was evaluating Beranise's use of Ultra Instinct, in her head. Technically, it has been almost a year, for Beranise, as she used the Time Chamber, but, considering she only started to effectively practice with Ultra Instinct, against actual opponents, for less than a week, it was impressive progress, even after how quickly Goku managed to temporarily master it. Vados watched Beranise say something to Caulifla, while nodding at Kale and flew back towards her, noticing that everyone stopped fighting, again, to look at what has happened. Beranise fixed them with a small glare that made them resume their practice, as she came back to the exit.

"That was rather short." Vados commented on the length of her practice, with a slightly teasing tone, veiled behind a neutral expression, as merely a few minutes had passed.

"Yeah? Well, we don't really need long to pick things up, but you know _that_." Beranise reminded her, without looking at her, folding her arms, as she faced the others and Vados did just reflect on how little time the Saiyans needed to improve. She gave Beranise a seemingly disappointed side-glance, after she turned her comment back on her and she continued to observe the others with her, who were all progressing, each at their own pace, all remarkably fast, showing the potential of the Saiyan race.

_The Super Seven's new training regimen had officially been started and with unsurprisingly impressive results. Beranise's handpicked squad of Saiyan elite, along with Caulifla and Kale, have taken their first, real steps towards reaching their potential, as Beranise herself kept reawakening an even greater power within her. Just like with Gohan's hidden power, as a child, or Goku's first Super Saiyan transformation, not to mention Ultra Instinct, Beranise has started to slowly unlock a force that could actually make her promise a reality. But, will it be enough to really challenge the Angels? And even though they can see the progress of the Saiyans, will they see it coming? More training will be in session, on the next Dragon Ball Super!_


	10. Episode 09

**Episode 09**

**No Monkey Business**

At Beerus' palace, the latter was lounging around, looking at space, above him, still pensive and hearing and feeling the constant clashing of Goku and Vegeta reverberate throughout the place did not exactly calm his mind, while Whis was talking through his staff to someone.

"That does make it seem there is nothing to worry about, as far as the Dragon Balls from Earth are concerned. However, that still leaves the sets in the possession of the Namekians, in both the 6th and 7th universes. Also their Super counterparts, as well. But, those are not ready to be used."

"Exactly!" Bulma replied, arms folded, with Gohan standing behind her, as Whis saw them through the projection. "It's gotta be Frieza and his lackeys, again. But, you revived him!" she put her hands on her hips. "So what else would he want the Dragon Balls for? I don't think _ours_ are even ready to be used, yet. We got maybe one wish left on them."

"Someone used a wish?" Gohan turned to her in surprise. "When?" he tilted his head.

"It was Beranise." Bulma replied. "After you left for the big tournament, she used that Cube-thing and my radar to go around the planet and got all of the Dragon Balls, in just a few minutes. Then she told Shenron to send her wherever _you_ guys went." she gestured. "She only made one wish, but you know how that goes. The Balls got scattered, again." she refolded arms.

"I see." Whis spoke. "I wondered how she managed to find the Null Realm. Using the Cube, alone, would not have been enough to cross over." he understood.

"Well, even if they're not after Earth's Dragon Balls, it's good we got most of them squared away." Gohan said, turning to look at the children. "Just to be safe." he added, smiling at Pan, who floated between Trunks and Goten, holding the 4-star ball in her hands and looked at her joyful reflection in it. Six of the balls were present and placed on a red pillow atop a pedestal.

"I am uncertain if the Namekian ones are ready to grant any wishes, as of yet. At least, in the 6th universe." Whis thought, considering the ones in the latter may have been used by the two surviving Namekians to undo the fusion of their entire race. The wish 17 made could not have restored them, as they sacrificed themselves before the start of the tournament. "Or if whoever wants their wish granted is even aware of the Namekians and the existence of their Dragon Balls." he added, as the other universes might not even know about their connection. "And the ones on Earth are guarded, so, that leaves only the Super Dragon Balls. If our thieves _were_ from one of the other universes, as Lord Beerus seems to suspect, they most likely intend to use _those_, as their power can demonstrably affect other universes, unlike the Namekians' and yours. Although...while they could easily understand as much, after being restored by them, they may be unaware of one important detail."

...

"WHAT!?" Roh was yelling at Mojito.

"Yes. I'm afraid it would be fruitless to continue gathering the rest, as they were just used. It is my understanding that an entire year has to pass, before another wish could be granted." Mojito explained, without the slightest bit of guilt.

"And you're telling us, _now_!?" Roh exclaimed, with only a single ball behind him and Sidra floating next to him.

"I had to see if the balls themselves would be inert or not. Apparently, their appearance is not an indicator of their state. Had I not seen them, you could have deceived yourselves into believing they would work as intended. I did not say anything, as I did not wish to give either if you falls hope." he weaseled himself out of the blame, but he knew full well the Super Dragon Balls were not ready to be used. Roh gritted his teeth in frustration.

"If we can't use the Super Dragon Balls, then, our plans our ruined! And the ones back on their planet Earth are sure to be guarded, by now." he hissed, clenching his fist, but stopped. "Unless..." he narrowed his eyes, looking up at Mojito, who expectantly raised a brow. "_You_...you will go to the 7th Universe. Find their Hell and revive this Cell. The same way that Frieza guy was brought back to life by that other angel, like you told me." he was not even ordering him, but telling what would happen. Mojito could have easily told both of them it was ill-advised to meddle in the balance, never mind in another universe, by resurrecting such a potent evil.

"If you both agree that is what you wish." Mojito used the word, again, as an intentional pun. Roh exchanged a nod with Sidra.

"It is." Sidra confirmed.

"Then it shall be done." Mojito complied with a bow, predicting failure and worse, as he went along with the new plan.

...

Night has fallen over the planet of the 6th Universe' Supreme Kai and up in the dark, star-filled sky, inside the former Destroyer's palace rested his usurper and the trainees she hosted, all in slumber, after a hectic day. The light from the planet's two moons shone through the arches of the tall windows, illuminating their rarely resting forms, until the sudden crumbling of walls shook the building and destroyed more than just the peace. The women shot up in bed and wondered if something was attacking them, when a deep, somehow still feminine voice, boomed.

"DAAAAAAMN IIIIIIT!" It cursed and they had no idea who or what it could have been, as they rushed towards where it was coming from, which turned out to be Beranise's quarters. "I FORGOT THIS PLACE HAD A DAMN MOON!" They raised a brow at the words, before they made it to the demolished part of the palace, finding that the room's wall was broken down. Rushing out onto and above the grassy plain, they stopped dead in their tracks and in the air, when they saw a gigantic ape-like creature standing outside, with Vados already confronting it, as she calmly floated behind it.

"Oh, my...I was unaware the moon had such an effect on a Saiyan from the 7th universe." she genuinely did not know, though she was clearly amused by the situation.

"HUH?" Beranise was surprised, then she turned to face her. "I GUESS I REALLY SHOULD STOP CALLING YOU MISS KNOW-IT-ALL, THEN!" she retorted.

"W-what's going on here!?" Kayen asked, from down on the ground, revolted as the rest. "What is this creature!?" It put its hands on its hips, almost comically.

"OH. RIGHT." it muttered. YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT MY TAIL. SO YOU WOULDN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS, EITHER." It told them and though they easily recognized who they were facing, it did not make it any less difficult for them to process it.

"M-Ma'am...?" Kayen meekly muttered, staring, wide-eyed, up at her and Beranise leaned down.

"I TOLD YOU...TO QUIT WITH THAT!" Beranise roared, forgetting the power of her voice, in that form, as it actually blew wind across all of them and Kayen flinched back from it and from fear.

"What the hell is going on?" Caulifla came out, hands on her hips, with Kale behind her. "What is this!?"

"ALWAYS WITH THE QUESTION!" Beranise sassed her, folding her large arms and turned to Vados. "GO FIND FUWA AND ASK IF HE MINDS LOSING A FEW MOONS!" she told her and Vados obeyed. "AS FOR YOU..." she turned to the eight of them. "SINCE YOU'RE UP..." She jumped, slapping half of them with her hand and the other half with her tail, simultaneously. "DOWN YOU GO!" Into the ground, where they crashed, amidst screams. The dust cleared as they all lied face down and Beranise let out a deep, disappointed and somewhat bored sigh. "YOU WEREN'T READY." She lifted her gaze some to see Pinch dragging her blanket with her, as she finally padded outside, bare-feet, only half awake.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" she rubbed a sleepy eye with her free hand. "Don't tell me she woke us up, in the middle of the night, just to train, that crazy-...uh!?" she looked up and nearly all color drained from her face as she stared at a huge monster that might as well have been straight from a nightmare.

"SOMEONE'S A HEAVY SLEEPER." Beranise muttered. Pinch pressed her bared teeth tightly together, as she started running with a shriek, but Beranise snatched her up, after a few steps and held her tiny form in her hand, without any breathing room. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT DRAGON BALLS DO WHEN YOU'RE DONE MAKING YOUR WISH ON THEM?" she quizzed her, then, like a pitcher, she threw Pinch away, who screamed against the nearly crushing wind. Beranise picked the others up, with her left and right hand, sending them flying in different directions. Most screamed in protest, until he got to Caulifla and Kale. The latter was still lying in the hole she made on impact, but Caulilfa protectively jumped in front of her, as Beranise reached for her.

"Don't even think about it!" she winced as she told her, turning Super Saiyan.

"ALREADY ON YOUR FEET, HUH. NOT BAD, LITTLE FLOWER." she told her and Caulifla growled in annoyance.

"I'll show _you_ little flower!" she exclaimed as she readied herself. Beranise knew, of course, that Caulifla, as a Super Saiyan, was much stronger than her, in her Giant Ape form. Before Caulifla could attack, seven golden stars flickered to life in the same directions Beranise threw the squad in and all of them came flying back, in Super Saiyan form, surrounding her. She glanced around, at the display and let out a small guttural harrumph.

"THAT'S MORE LIKE IT." she told them. "A SAIYAN SHOULD BE UP FOR A BEATING, EVEN WHEN THEY'RE DRAGGED OUT OF BED."

"So, you wouldn't mind getting one, right!?" Caulifla angrily turned her words against her and Beranise groaned, as she did not exactly have any means of beating any of them, as she was. She looked at one of the moons and squinted to see it was moving a lot faster than normal and was eclipsed by the planet, in mere seconds, as it was relatively close to it, to begin with. She figured Vados was already doing her work and against the bright, white disk of the second moon, she could see a small, dark, barely perceptible dot that was her, in front of it, guiding it into position. Beranise felt that, at least, Caulifla was going to attack her, before the moon would get behind the planet. So she did not wait and released a mouth-blast, shooting past everyone and they followed its trajectory to see it went towards the barren, serine satellite.

"Hm?" Vados looked to the side to see the large purple wave coming towards her. "Hmph." She shook her head as she merely remained in place, with a barrier around herself, as the beam traveled around her, hitting and obliterating the moon, but leaving her unscathed.

"AH, IT WAS WORTH A SHOT." Beranise muttered, dismissively waving a large hand, not too annoyed that she could not get two birds with one stone. Kale picked herself up from the ground and Caulifla started to attack, but stopped, as Beranise began to shrink and was back to her human - but not actually human - form. And _au naturale_, as well, as she floated stark naked between all of them, which was enough to make all of them not want to get any closer, let alone fight her. Caulifla put a hand in front of her eyes, covering her slightly reddened face, annoyed.

"Hrrr. What is _wrong_ with you!?" she asked Beranise, who, instead of folding her arms over her chest, at least, merely placed her hands on her hips, not covering any part of herself.

"I didn't get my beauty sleep. Obviously." she stated, matter-of-factly. "Get back to bed, all of you!" she told them, letting her hands down and glided past them. "We're starting early." she told them and headed inside, where she plopped down on her bed, as if her room was not missing half a wall and ceiling and Vados returned from space. Down on the planet, Fuwa looked almost as shattered as the moon he just watched explode, except his fear of Beranise and her erratic behavior, was greater than his sadness over the loss of one celestial body.

...

In the 7th Universe, deep in the disappointingly less infernal parts of Hell, Cell stood atop a cliff, with the dead, undying, repeatedly beaten bodies of others, he used as punching bags, lying around below him. Arms folded and eyes closed, he appeared to be either asleep or in a deep mental exercise. A yellow aura, much like that of Super Saiyans, enveloped him, indicating that he was, in fact, focusing his mind. He heard someone touch the ground behind him and since he could not sense him, he figured it could only be one person.

"I'm rather busy, Doctor." he said, without looking, believing it was his creator, but turned when he sensed something strange that was definitely unlike anything he ever felt before and came face to face with a being whose mere presence instantly unnerved him. Mojito's faint smile and demeanor threw him more.

"Greetings, Cell." he spoke.

"Who..." Cell reconsidered. "_What_ are you?" he asked, unable to even gauge what he was sensing from him, much like the time Vegeta first discovered who Whis really was, making an immediate, astute observation he was facing no ordinary being.

"I am your parole officer, in a manner of speaking." Mojito replied, being intentionally vague.

"My _what_?" Cell raised a brow, understanding the words, but not his meaning behind them.

"The one called Frieza has been recently granted more than a reprieve, as I am sure you are aware. And now my superiors require you to be released from here, as well. That is all you need to know." Mojito told him. "Now..." he pointed his staff at Cell, who flinched halfway into a defense posture and a light flashed around him. He looked himself over, wondering what happened, saw his halo was gone and gawked at Mojito. "We must depart. All will be explained, when we return." he said and Cell, now among the living, once again, stared at him, in confusion.

...

In Beerus's domain, Goku was blissfully snoring into the wee hours of the morning, while Vegeta kept mercilessly flinging his limbs at the empty air, outside, having already worked up a sweat.

_"That oaf..."_ he thought as he kept attacking. _"Sleeps in like we haven't got our work cut out for us. And, yet, __**he**__ was the one who could master Ultra Instinct, even if it was only for a few minutes. All that power Jiren had wasn't even enough to stand up to Kakarot's, then."_ he reflected on it, again and how it came about. _"I refuse to let him get ahead of me and just find another level of power whenever he's backed into a corner. Neither of us can wait for the next time we're about to be defeated, just to reach that next level. It may have worked for us, Saiyans, so far. But, it won't be enough with the gods and the angels."_ he told himself. Whis observed him from down at the pond, with the Oracle Fish snoozing next to him. He was slightly smiling, able to tell what Vegeta was thinking about.

...

Meanwhile, his sister was also watching her own Saiyan subject slaying innocent air-molecules with every practice-punch and kick, in the warming light of the Sun that was slowly peeking from behind the planet of the Kais. Her partially standing bangs whipped in the air and her silver eyes focused ahead, before they lost their piercing color, again and her hair slumped, to her annoyance. She exhaled, taking an unwanted, but needed, break, for the first-time that morning, as the others were all still sleeping in their beds.

_"That time, she could willingly hold the form, long enough to try a few attacks. And perhaps what was interfering was her conscious will, in the first place."_ Vados evaluated her, in her head. After all, the state relied on an utter lack of focus on anything besides one's self, their opponent and the fight itself. _"But, could it be possible that a Saiyan can actually find a different way to make that power their own?"_ Vados considered and the thought caused an uncomfortable feeling in her that she could not identify. She met Beranise's eyes, who merely frowned at her, as she sat and rested, before she stood and walked farther out into the garden, leaving her to muse on the uneasiness within her that she was unaccustomed to.

...

"So...a God of Destruction from a _whole other universe_ is afraid of the Saiyans?" Cell stood in front of Sidra and Roh, arms folded. "As much as I hate to admit it, the feeling is not unfamiliar." he muttered and his struggle against Gohan flashed across his mind, when he made him fear death.

"Even though they are...a part of you." Roh pointed out.

"And it's _because_ they're a part of me that I know I can become even stronger than I was intended to be." Cell told him. "_Their_ cells and Frieza's give me all that I need. And if Frieza needed only a few months of hard work...then, I'll need even less. Hmhm." he chuckled with a confident smirk. They could feel his impressive power, which still seemed inconsequential compared to what he would be up against, but if Frieza's could rival and quite possibly surpass even Sidra's, in the short time he spent training, then Cell would surely emerge as a far greater adversary.

"Then we have an agreement?" Roh wanted it to be clear, rubbing his hands together. "You will deal with them, when you're ready?" he asked, with a conniving smirk that hid some fear.

"Hmph. I'll settle my debts to you and to _them_. Rest assured of _that._" Cell evenly stated, spread his wings and flew off to prepare, leaving Roh to sinisterly smile at Sidra, as their plan was progressing.

...

The sun started to shine through the windows, as Pinch was cozily snoring in her bed, when a large, hairy hand came busting in through her wall, making her jump and look around in panic. She screamed, as she was grabbed and pulled outside.

Kayen was already pulling her boots on, in anticipation that Beranise would stay true to her words and expect them to be ready for an early-morning training session. Her quarters shook and she heard surprised, then, protesting screams, one after every quake, from the other rooms, as the others were seemingly under attack. She stormed out into the hallway and to the nearest room, which was Perille's, who was already standing outside her door, fully-dressed.

"What's going on?" Kayen asked her in alarm, but before Perille could respond, they heard Caulifla angrily shout at someone.

"Again, with this crap!? You're outta your mind!" They rushed further in and to a room that had a cloud of dust coming from its door. Glancing in, they saw a large hole in the wall, through which a pillar of light shined in, reflecting off all the dust in the air. They flew through it, outside, where they saw the Giant Ape that was Beranise; only this time, she wore her elastic bodysuit that did not tear from the beastly transformation, as she held a struggling Caulifla in her hand, who could not even free her arms, surrounded by the others, all in their own type of slightly differing nighties.

"Let her go!" Kale screamed at her.

"MAKE ME!" Beranise calmly challenged her and her voice easily carried.

"But...didn't she need a moon to transform like this?" Kayen asked.

"Didn't you...hghh...blow up the moon!?" Caulifla asked, annoyed and confused, as she kept trying to free herself. Vados observed the scene from a distance, looking up at the small, almost inconspicuous artificial moon glowing high above them that none of the others had noticed.

"THE FORM WENT DOWN LIKE A STORM, LAST NIGHT. THOUGHT I'D BRING IT BACK." Beranise said, not really answering her.

"Oh, yeah!?" Caulifla shot back. "You know what else goes down like a storm!?" she asked as a yellow aura surrounded her, but it faded from the pain that made her cry out, as Beranise gave her a squeeze.

"UH-UH." Beranise wagged a finger. "NO TURNING SUPER SAIYAN, NOW."

"You...hgnh...you don't think I know...w-why!?" Caulifla fought her grip to no avail. "You're only like...ten times stronger, like this." she estimated her power. "If we go Super Saiyan, one of us'll be enough to kick your a-..." Beranise clamped her other hand over her, muffling her, but as she glanced around, at the others, she saw they were thinking about doing just that.

"DON'T GET ANY IDEAS!" Beranise warned them. "NO ONE'S TURNING SUPER SAIYAN! AND NO ONE'S GETTING BACK TO BED, OR A SHOWER, _OR_ BREAKFAST, UNTIL YOU BEAT ME, AS YOU ARE! _THAT'S_ YOUR TRAINING!" she laid down the rules. "FOR THE MORNING, ANYWAY." she added, implying there would be more, later on in the day, as Caulifla's muffled voice kept cursing at her.

"Let her go, already!" Kale demanded, at her feet, more bravely than before and seemingly ready to fight.

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" Beranise exclaimed. "BUT, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO..." she attempted to stomp on her. "WORK FOR IT!" Kale dodged to the side and rushed to hit her in the side of the head, with all she had, but Beranise's large face absorbed the blow and as she immediately responded with a mouth-blast that a surprised Kale was blown away by, she could feel Caulifla trying to use the opportunity to break free, but still could not budge. Beranise jumped up and did a quick twist in the air, as the others, minus Kayen and Perille, attacked, whipping her tail around that only hit Pinch, while the rest flew up or down to avoid it. Pinch crashed through the wall of the palace and Beranise started doing back and side-flips, kicking around, hitting the twins with the first, Shoga with the second and even as Nori managed to narrowly avoid the third, after seeing the first two, it created a strong enough wind that almost pulled her down and kept her off balance long enough for the fourth kick to connect and send her flying, like the rest. Before Beranise had time to be disappointed, Kale came flying into her face with a large, double-handed, green blast that made Beranise stumble back, blinded, as Kayen and Perille kept observing, with their guard up.

"HRGH!" she growled in annoyance and steadied her feet, as her hands were still occupied and as Kale charged at her, again, she threw herself onto her back, to avoid her, making the ground shake, as half the team was lying on it and brought her tail up in front of her, slapping Kale in the back, before leaping to her feet, with another tremor. Kale went flying, incidentally towards Vados, who let her soar past.

"This form is surprisingly fast." she commented. Beranise saw Kayen and Perille were idling, likely strategizing, as the others, except Kale, all came back. Pinch jumped up into the hole she made in the wall, growled and then took to the air to join the rest, as they buzzed around her, blasting and ramming into her.

"They can't even overpower her." Kayen analyzed. "Even when she's blinded her body can just stand up to everything." she deduced from their fruitless efforts to stun and hit her, either with physical attacks or blasts. "She's already stronger than us, normally, and if she's ten times stronger, now, there's no way we can do enough damage to her, unless..." Kayen paused and Perille glanced at her, expectantly. "We're not meant to beat her like this. She said we have to beat her as _we_ are. She did not say, she has to stay that way." she reasoned and looked around. "We have to figure out how she transformed without a full..." She spotted the bright orb in the sky that was definitely not there the day before. "Moon." she ended her sentence. Perille followed her eyes. "That strange glow...it's…" she became suspicious of it. "Could that be what she substituted the moon's light with? I guess she had to develop a technique for when there were no moons around to use." she quickly deduced. Beranise took a quick head-count of who was where and saw the two were eyeing her artificial moon. Her eyes narrowed when they each charged a blast and when they fired, she leapt into the air, used a hand to snuff the two blasts out and landed back on the ground, hearing Caulifla, whose head was uncovered.

"WHY YOU, OVERSIZED FURBALL! I'M GONNA-..." She was muffled again, by the free hand Beranise immediately clamped over her head, once more.

"HEY!" Beranise turned to Kayen and Perille. "THIS ISN'T REALLY A _USE-YOUR-HEAD_ KINDA FIGHT. YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO BEAT ME LIKE_ THIS_. THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT." she told them to their surprise, mostly Kayen's, who misinterpreted her instructions.

"We're never gonna eat!" Pinch panicked, on all fours and Beranise turned to look down at her.

"NOT WITH _THAT_ ATTITUDE." she said and opened her mouth at her. Pinch flew up, but no blast came and she stopped, in surprise, before the real attack was released. After missing Pinch, Beranise pressed on, jumped and turned with the beam, directing it back down and those on or close the ground scurried away, while she created a mote around herself, landing back in the center. She uncovered Caulifla, who stopped fidgeting to glare up at her, somewhat surprised by the sudden breathing-room she got. "SPEAKING OF EATING..." Beranise flicked her tongue across her mouth and Caulifla turned mortified as she was being lifted to it.

"NO!" Kale, hair-band snapping and her bangs flowing free, came at her, but Beranise leaned back, crouching and snatched her from the air. Kale cried out in pain, as she became a captive, too.

"GOT YOU!" Beranise exclaimed as she now held Caulifla in one hand and Kale in the other, with neither of them having the strength to free themselves. "NOW, I CAN USE MY HANDS, A LITTLE." She swung with each one to show she had two more large limbs to bring to the already seemingly hopeless fight, to the distress of the others.

...

"WHAAT!?" King Yamma bellowed at two horned secretaries from Hell, who cowered before him and his large desk. "What do you mean he's missing!? How can a prisoner from Hell be gone!?" he demanded to know, as Baba was floating at a safe distance from him.

"I-I don't know, Sir!" One man shakily said. "E-everyone says he was just gone, by the time they woke up."

"WOKE UP!?" Yamma repeated, annoyed and the man shivered, so the other continued.

"T-they were all...um...beaten within an inch of their...uh..._lives_..." Yamma was not amused by the unintentional dead-humor and glared at him, which made him recoil, before he blurted the rest out. "A-and the one named Cell was nowhere to be found. W-we...just finished taking a census and he's the only one missing." Yamma turned to Baba, who shrugged.

"Don't look at me." Baba muttered. "I have no idea _where_ he could have gone. But, I doubt Goku and the others need _him_ for a grand tournament." she told him and Yamma held his head between his hands, then slammed them on the table, shaking the entire check-in station and many, including all the waiting souls, kept trembling from his temper.

...

Beerus was leaning on his elbows, at the stone handrail of his balcony, watching Goku and Vegeta spar, again.

"So, what does that mean?" he glanced at Whis. "Do we have another Frieza on our hands?" He was not entirely unconcerned.

"From what the Supreme Kai passed on from the North Kai, this Cell could be even more dangerous." he reported. "Of course, our Saiyans might just enjoy the challenge." he smilingly added. "I have asked the Kais not to notify Goku and the others just yet. So…should _we_ warn them, My Lord?" Whis asked and Beerus only deliberated for a second.

"No." he said, turning to look at them.

"Yes, I suppose leaving it to be a surprise will be more interesting." Whis agreed. "And telling them could distract them." he reasoned as they watched them fight at full power, growing ever stronger. They stopped and panted. Goku seemed to be elsewhere, while Vegeta was not.

"Where's your head, _now_?" It annoyed him.

"I...was just thinking..." Goku started, catching his breath.

"Hmph. As if you do." Vegeta mockingly said.

"The only times I could ever use that Ultra Instinct thing...I was gonna lose. And I was in pretty rough shape, too. Like, a punch away from just passing out, but..." he paused.

"But, what?" Vegeta impatiently prompted him.

"Well...I don't wanna have to be _there_, every time, just to use it. I mean, I know _you'd_ gladly beat me to that point, but...that's no fun. Especially, when I know I can just stop you." Vegeta's eyes twitched. "But, I couldn't do anything against Jiren, until it just happened."

"What? You're saying you need someone stronger to fight than _me_?" Vegeta felt insulted.

"Come on, it's not like that!" Goku defensively told him. "I just know I can't always hope it will come, in a moment like that. I need something else to get me there. I just don't know what that is, yet." Vegeta listened. "I mean, I remember I had it, for a few minutes. It all just clicked." He recalled the time he closed his eyes and began tapping into the true power of the state that Whis explained to the others. "But, hey...if I could let go, like that, against _Jiren_, it oughta be easier if it's just _you_." he smirked and Vegeta growled.

"You're asking for it, damn you!" he attacked.

...

The Seven were narrowly avoiding Beranise's fists, while Kale and Caulifla were in them, fortunately not suffering from motion-sickness, as they were swung around, catching the briefest of glimpses of the others, when they dodged out of the way. Beranise hopped about and spun, kicking and lashing with her tail, almost looking like she was doing a strange dance and randomly coughed bursts of energy blasts at whoever was in front of her that were big enough to easily engulf all seven of them, had they been closely grouped together. They were struggling just to be on the move, with no window for a counter-attack, for all the good one could have done.

"She's got to be tiring..." Kurogo said, breathing heavily.

"It...doesn't look like she is." Shirogo replied, equally worn down, before they split, flying in opposite directions to avoid a downward swing.

"We have to free those two, first." Kayen stated, to Perille, Nori and Pinch, who were close enough, while Beranise was busy with Shoga and the twins. "It'll give her more targets...and more time for, at least, some of us...to pull something off." she said between breaths. "And we have to end it...with one move." she stressed. "We can't go on for much longer like this. And we won't have another-AH...!" Beranise fired a mouth-blast at them, upside down, as she was doing a front-flip, attacking their group and then the other three, in front her, with an axe-kick that could have split a mountain in half, considering her size.

"MORE TALKING, MORE NOT-EATING-FOR-A-WHILE!" Beranise mockingly told them, then, wiggling her suddenly irritated nose, made a sneeze that shook everything around them. "ALL THESE BUGS!" she cursed the insects that got in her nostrils and shook her head, which seemed to give Pinch and idea that made her visibly uncomfortable, but she immediately put herself past it.

"You guys gonna owe me for this!" she exclaimed and charged, flying up from under Beranise, who just missed the twins and Shoga, again with her swing and turned towards their group. Pinch caught her off-guard, first, with her sudden appearance, then, by plunging right into one of her nostril, where she grabbed a handful of nose-hairs and ripped them out, shooting back outside.

"YEEEOOOWWW!" Beranise let go of Caulifla and Kale to put her hands over her nose, as her eyes were tearing up, while a mucus-covered Pinch grinned and looked ready to throw up, at the same time, both hands full of thick slimy hair. Kayen and the rest were momentarily stunned by the move, but she quickly put all of their minds back on the task.

"Follow me!" she shouted and dashed behind Beranise, grabbing her tail, in the middle and started pulling on it. Most of the others joined her, including a furious Caulifla, while Kale and Pinch watched, as they lifted Beranise, dragging her up into the sky.

"H-HEY! WHAT THE...!?" She helplessly dangled, as she could not turn to face them or fire a blast, in anyway, to make them stop, while she flailed her arms and legs. They held her in place for a few seconds and she stopped struggling. Beranise actually folded her arms, as she hung, upside down. "WHAT'RE YOU GONNA DO, NOW, HUH? THIS ISN'T REALLY BEATING ME, YOU KNOW." she pointed out. The others exchanged looks, wondering what to do with her. Caulifla looked towards the Kai planet and grinned.

"I got it..." she smugly said and started spinning around with her, slowly. "Come on!" Then sped up with every turn, as the others quickly caught on. "Let's see if we can hit that lake!" she exclaimed.

"LAKE?" Beranise repeated, finding it weird why they would only throw her as far as the one nearby. "YOU THINK _THAT'S_ GONNA-..." But, as they drifted farther up into the artificial atmosphere with her, she realized they meant the one on the planet. "WAIT! OH, NO YOU-..." They released her. "...DOOON'T!" Out into space and towards the planet. The entry into the planet's own atmosphere did not quite burn her, but it singed her fur all over, as she curled into a ball and as she felt the cooler air of the lower layers, she unfurled to see where she was falling. The women all watched as she became a small dot that still made quite a spectacular splash in the lake, causing a tidal-wave.

"Ha-Ha!" Caulifla cheered. "How do ya like that, you crazy broad!?" she yelled after Beranise.

"Uh...you're a woman, too." Kayen said, at her last word.

"And?" Caulifla shrugged with her hands on her hips, not getting her point. A sudden dimming of the light, made them look up to see Vados dispersed the bright ball that served as Beranise's moon, with a touch of her staff and floated down to them.

"Well done!" she exclaimed, with a smile that had some satisfaction behind it. "That concludes your training." she informed them. "For the morning." she added with a more even tone, emphasizing, again, as Beranise did, that their day was just starting.

"Hgggghh..." Pinch felt sick, covered in goo. "I need a shower."

"I'd hug you." Kurogo appreciatively smiled, folding her arms. "But, I won't." she frankly said, keeping her distance from Pinch.

"I wouldn't hug _me_, either." She muttered, lifted a leg to look at her naked foot that nearly stuck to the ground from all the snot on it.

"Look at _these_ two proper lasses...!" Shoga nodded at Kayen and Perille, hands on her hips. "Bet ye were dragged from yer beds all dressed." she smirked, as they were the only ones who were actually clothed for the grueling fight they just had.

"We were already up." Kayen folded her arms.

"Over-achievers..." Pinch muttered.

"You went up her nose." Perille flatly pointed out, with only a hint of disgust.

"We're not the ones covered in mucus." Kayen added, with a small smile. Pinch smirked and they realized their mistake as she started shaking her hair out, splattering everyone, amidst their sounds of protest, except Vados, who calmly floated higher up to avoid it all and turned to look towards the planet. Down on it, Beranise, in human-form, floated on her back on the surface of the water with a flat expression, looking up at the palace and took a sniff through her likely still hurting nostrils.

"It's a start." she muttered, referring to the conclusion of the first training session of the day.

...

Cell stood in a wide arena, surrounded by darkness and the unconscious bodies of all the strongest fighters, of the 9th Universe, who participated in the Tournanent of Power. Even Basil and Lavender lay at his feet, tongues out, utterly out of it. Bergamo growled at the being in front of him who made short work of all of them.

"Don't think I'll be easy prey, like the rest." Bergamo warned him.

"Hmm." Cell smirked, standing at the ready. "I've been told you have the ability to absorb all the damage you take and use it to grow stronger and bigger. What a wonderful coincidence!" he exclaimed, to Bergamo's confusion. "You'll make the _perfect_ punching bag." Cell ominously said and Bergamo narrowed his eyes, baring his teeth, unnerved by Cell's sinister confidence, as his eagerness for battle was unlike Goku's innocent, carefree attitude, as the state of his allies and brothers showed. With Bergamo's unique ability, Cell had someone he could keep practicing on, with less breaks, much like Frieza did with Tagoma. Even better.

_After a rude wake-up and even worse morning, the Saiyan women were through with the start of their day and a lot more grueling training was in store for them. Like their full-blooded counterparts in the 7__th__ Universe, they weren't being cut any slack. While unbeknownst to all, except Whis and Lord Beerus, Cell has been revived and already began his own training. Having quickly dispatched most of the warriors from the 9__th__ Universe, he apparently found the perfect training partner in Bergamo, unfortunately for the latter. With both Saiyan and Frieza's genetics in him, just how long will it take him to catch up with their power? Both good and evil forces were now growing. Which one will be stronger? We'll now…when they meet, on Dragon Ball Super! _


	11. Episode 10

**Episode 10 **

**Breaking Shells **

The dining room inside the palace was loud with chewing noises, as the stacks of dishes on the table were steadily vanishing into the nigh bottomless pits that were the stomachs of the Saiyan women around them, as Vados sat at one end of the table, while the chair on the other end was empty, as Beranise was still absent. Caulifla chowed down on a slab of meat she stabbed with a fork and with her mouth still full she looked at Vados, sitting closest to her, who was motionlessly looking ahead of her, with an empty expression, as if she was not even mentally present. Audibly swallowing her food, Caulifla spoke to her.

"So, who're _you_, anyway?" she slightly leaned forward and Vados turned to her at her question. "You're one of those angels, who're butlers to every God of Destruction or something, right?" She did not figure much else out, in the short time they spent with them, during the tournament.

"Simply put." Vados' reply was also a comment on Caulifla's partially informed tact.

"They're just pretending to be." Beranise's voice made them all look as she came in to take her seat. "They trained all the gods. And they can deck any of them with a flick of a finger." she muttered, sitting.

"A small exaggeration." Vados stated, as the others stared at her and some coyness creeped back into her tone. "It requires several muscles and technically two fingers." she pointed out.

"And they're full of 'emselves, 'cause they don't think any of us _mortals_ can get to their level." Beranise said, her slight glare not changing, in answer to Vados' teasing, who remained silent, not correcting her about the way the Angels thought of them either way.

"Pff. That Jiren guy already looked tougher than a lot of those gods." Caulifla frowned. "And _us_? We're just getting started. I didn't even know about Super Saiyan, before the tournament and I could already go Super Saiyan 3, in a week. _Who_ says _how_ far we can go?" she looked at Kale, across from her, with an ambitious smirk, who smiled at her encouraging words.

…

Gohan, with his eyes closed, wearing his orange gi and no glasses, sat, cross-legged, with Piccolo, high atop a cliff, facing each other, both in deep meditation, as the wind blew around them.

"How do you know there is more?" Piccolo asked, out loud and opened his eyes to look at Gohan. "Even seeing what your father and Vegeta did, how can you be sure _you_ can go any further? Don't forget, you being only _half_-Saiyan could mean you actually _have a limit_."

"Yes. But, if that's the case…I know that limit is not where I am now." Gohan replied and Piccolo slightly lifted his gaze. "I remember when Old Kai awakened my power." he recalled the hours on the planet of the Kais he spent preparing to fight Majin Buu. "I was surprised I couldn't even turn Super Saiyan when I used it. And I tried." The sensation was clear in his memory, when he blew away the land with his new strength, to everyone's shock. "He told me I didn't even need to go Super Saiyan to win. That I would be strong enough as is. But, that's just it." he paused, opening his eyes to look at Piccolo with even more determination than ever before. "He said I didn't _need_ to. He never said I _couldn't_." he made the distinction and turned his palms towards his face to look down into them. "Before I gained _back_ the power that Old Kai gave me, I _could_ turn Super Saiyan, but I was actually a lot weaker than before." His gaze dropped even lower, in shame. "It's why I couldn't even stand up to Frieza, when he returned. And why I had so much trouble fighting that guy from the 9th Universe." he slowly clenched his fists. "If I could turn Super Saiyan, as I am now, it would multiply my current power. I could be as strong as Super Saiyan Blue, _at least_!" he reckoned.

Piccolo took a moment to consider Gohan's calculations. "Maybe." he agreed. "Either way…you're training is not over, Gohan." he told him, in a mentoring way, then smiled. "Not that this old dog has much more to teach you." Gohan returned his smile.

…

"But, if she's that strong, why be some servant?" Caulifla incredulously asked Beranise, glancing at Vados, with a rib in her hand. "That doesn't even make sense."

"She's just playing along." Beranise replied, gesturing with a sizable drumstick in her hand. "So, if anyone needs anything..." she leveled her spiteful gaze at Vados. "Feel free to use her." Venom dripped from her words as she kept looking her straight in the eyes. Vados ever so subtly narrowed her delicate brows at the way she was being presented to the others and Beranise seemed to have caught it. She gave her a frown, with some satisfaction behind it, coming close to an actual smile, after days, but which was actually nearly a year, for her. She tore a chunk of meat off with her teeth and chewed away, while still looking at Vados, as if she was fixated on her. Kayen and Caulilfa, in particular, noticed the tension between them, then.

"Okay..." Caulifla glanced between them, still holding the rib, as Beranise was chewing. "So, why isn't she training you, then?" It occurred to her. "You've been busting _our _chops, but I didn't see _you_ train." she pointed out. Vados had a small smile as Beranise swallowed.

"You didn't." she said. "'Cause you didn't even know it when you saw it." She was being intentionally vague, again, partly to annoy her, but also because they were nowhere near the kind of training she was doing. Caulifla furrowed her brows, then, glared at her and with a groan bit into the meat. Kale was quietly nibbling at a much smaller slab, glancing between her, Beranise and Vados. "Hey...little _mouse_!" Kale looked up, as she knew Beranise was addressing her. "Eat it like you mean it, 'cause I'll be punching you in the gut, again, soon!" she warned her and Kale briefly leaned back with a flinch, but it turned into a glare.

"Hey, back off!" Caulifla pushed herself halfway up, as she dropped the rib, while the others glanced between the two ends of the table. "Quit pickin' on her!" she told Beranise.

"She's gotta learn how to _make_ me." Beranise calmly argued, turning to Kale. "At least, she's not pulling back, anymore." she observed, tearing off another bite and Kale's braver face showed some annoyance at her provocation.

"Well, _you_ better not pull that giant monkey thing, again! Unless you want another swim!" Caulifla warned her, but it did not bother Beranise.

"That part's over." Beranise stated. "And you still didn't exactly beat me, straight up, like you were supposed to..." she pointed out.

"Oh, yeah?" Caulifla frowned. "Well, I think we _weren't even supposed to_ beat you. How _could _we? And without even turning Super Saiyan?" she argued. "Admit it!" And pointed at Beranise. "You just wanted us to survive as long as we could!"

"All of you would've found a way. The _strength_. You would've _had to_. _That_ was the point!" Beranise slammed her left fist down, startling Kayen and the others, who sat closest to her and looked at all of them. "To go past your limits and what you _thought_ you can do." she told them. "And if you think fighting me in _that_ form was rough, then, you really have no idea what it feels like when you get stronger than you ever imagined you could be and then find out it's nothing compared to what you could _still be_." she said, briefly glanced at Vados and continued to eat in silence.

...

Goku was getting repeatedly punched in the face by Vegeta, from both sides, as he nearly went lax, letting it happen. He winced from the pain and could barely look up at him.

"I thought you said you didn't want to be always nearly beaten just to tap into that new power." Vegeta mockingly reminded him and Goku tried to straighten himself up.

"Y-yeah...I...just haven't really...ugh...figured out how to do that..." he managed to say. "Yet." he added, with a small smirk.

"Hmph. Yet." Vegeta knew full well he eventually would and sooner rather than later.

Beerus and Whis observed from the balcony, as they resumed sparring, with Goku dropping his attempts to trigger Ultra Instict by letting Vegeta beat him senseless.

"It is quite interesting how a Saiyan may only experience a particular sensation, whether it is a new state of power or an attack on them, _only once_, before their body immediately starts compensating by instinctively learning how to handle it the next time it happens." Whis noted, as Beerus kept watching them. "It is no surprise Goku became more adept at tapping into the state, every time he fell into it, to the point where he even briefly mastered it. It was certainly no fluke. And neither will be every time he manages to use it, from now on." He predicted what Vegeta and Goku have also realized, that the conscious use of any new power cannot and will not come from being triggered by near defeat, anymore.

...

Inside the staff's dimension, the fists of a Super Saiyan Caulifla and Kale were blocked by a Super Saiyan Beranise's wrists, who continued to guard against their assault and though they were pushing her back, they weren't getting any decisive hits in, even though Kale's attacks were actually harder than Caulifla's. She managed to surprise Beranise, before, but as she was fighting her in tandem with Caulifla, she seemed to be unconsciously focused on trying to show the latter she could fight by her side and kept driving the same attacks, with the same pattern, in, rather than try different approaches. Beranise suddenly moved between them and fired a yellow energy blast, from point-blank range, into the side of their heads. Each let out a cry of pain as they were pushed away, as Beranise stayed between them.

"I can tell you two never really fought anyone even close to your level, before the tournament." Beranise said to them and they stopped in their immediate retaliation. "Learning comes fast for a Saiyan, but the way you fight is still too straight forward. Looks like you didn't really have to fight anyway else, until the tournament. You're gonnna have do what you did there and mix things up more." she noted. "And you both got too used to having the other one by your side. So..." Beranise folded her arms. "Who're you gonna count on, if it's just you, by yourselves?" She floated away, still facing them and gestured to each, with a nod towards the other. Caulifla and Kale exchanged surprised and worried looks, as they understood her.

"You want us to fight each other?" Caulifla felt apprehensive, glancing at Kale, who looked even more worried about it. Beranise wordless flew farther away, towards the others, who were sparring as Super Saiyans, getting more used to controlling the form's wild energy inside the pocket dimension. Caulifla faced Kale, who was nervous, as she never fought her best friend so seriously, with such power, before.

"It's okay." Caulifla calmingly told her. "We don't have to do this." she muttered, glancing after Beranise and defying her instructions.

"But...we have to." Kale spoke, suddenly more assertive.

"Huh?" Caulifla turned to her, in complete surprise.

"She's right." Kale looked at her hands. "I know...I know you'll always be there for me." she looked her in the eye. "But...I have to learn to hold my own...so that I..." Kale clenched her fists. "So that I can always be there for _you_." she looked back up at her, with green fire in her eyes. "And I can't let you..." she flexed her muscles. "Hgnn…Hold yourself back…a-and…not let me fight you...just to make me feel better!" Her energy flared. "HAAAAA!" Beranise turned with the others as Kale powered up to a slightly bulkier state, remaining in control of herself. Caulifla stared at her newfound determination, then smiled, seeing she was taking the initiative and standing up.

"Alright, girl. If you don't want me to cut you any slack, then I won't. I'm not gonna insult you like that." Caulifla took a stance to power up. "So, let's see..." she flexed. "What we can both do! HAAAAA-...!" she turned Super Saiyan 2, but did not stop there. "RRRRGGGHHH!" She gathered all the power she could feel inside her and pushed. The others looked on in awe as her glowing golden hair grew to reach behind her thighs. "HA!" She let up, with a burst of air and her browless, green eyes had black pupils that challengingly looked up at Kale, as Caulifla straightened up, as a Super Saiyan 3, ready to fight her in earnest. Kale briefly appeared uncertain, but it vanished as she put her fears aside, feeling, apart from the adrenaline, that she would likely have to raise her own power even further to match and surpass Caulifla's.

"Woah! What is _that_!?" Pinch asked, astounded by the power of the form as much as she was by its appearance.

"Super Saiyan 3." Beranise told them, arms folded as they kept gaping at the wild look.

"Pinch...you're gonna need a haircut, before you do that." Kurogo commented.

"No kidding!" Pinch agreed, staring at it, as her hair was already the same length and for all they knew it could double from the form. Caulifla's lips curved into a smirk, but it disappeared as she took the situation seriously, to show Kale she was not merely doing it for her own enjoyment, but to respect her wishes and get stronger, together.

"Ready?" Caulifla asked, in a rougher voice.

"I'm ready." Kale replied, more serious than she had ever been.

Caulifla's fist instantly hit Kale's raised forearm, who gritted her teeth, as she felt pain, while the attack pushed her back some. She briefly retreated, but Caulifla went after her to keep the pressure on, remaining on the offensive for the first minute as Kale withstood it all and slowly Caulifla's attacks began having less effect. She could feel Kale's energy was steadily rising, not from uncontrolled emotions, but the opposite. It was building, along with her muscles, to match her strength and after another minute of non-stop clashes, Kale was already fighting on par with her. Another minute nearly passed, before they even separated, coming to a standstill. Kale appeared hesitant for a moment, as she felt herself holding back, but her doubt was gone, again and she started powering up even more, with a scream.

Despite the seriousness and feeling Kale's power surpass her own, Caulifla allowed herself a smirk, proud of her friend, even as the latter launched herself at her, with clearly more force than she could handle. She tried to hold her back, but unlike Beranise, she did not, yet, possess a further transformation that could have evened her odds and so she was bulldozed, as Kale pushed her along, then, briefly pulled back to bash her with her forearm, sending her flying backwards. Caulifla stopped herself, wincing from the pain and one side of her face was visibly bruised, but she took pleasure, not in the pain, but in the thrill of the fight, especially that her friend was capable of gaining on her so much, in such a short time. Kale's energy continued to erupt, but she reined it in, not letting it take her over, even as her pupils disappeared.

"That's it, Kale!" she balled her fists and raised her head high, flaring up. "Give me all you got!"

Caulifla waited for her to make a move, which was already a sign Kale was controlling herself and had not succumbed to blind rage. She managed to narrowly dodge several attacks and as Kale missed her with a larger fist, she drove her knee into the side of her head, but to no effect and the surprised gasp she made was cut short by the elbow, from the same arm she dodged, hitting her in the face. It drew blood from her mouth, which was followed by more she coughed up, as Kale punched her in the gut, with the same hand. Caulifla would have wobbled had she been standing, but it was clear she was in the deep pain and Kale stopped, her pupil-less eyes wavering at the sight of her friend, which made her hesitate, since she was the one hurting her.

"Ggghh...don't you...quit on me, now...y-you hear!" Caulifla could barely straighten up, as she held her stomach and blood ran from her mouth. "You're gonna have to...see this through...to the end! 'Cause **I **will!" She gathered her waning strength, surprising Kale with her resolve as she made a mad dash at her. In that moment, Kale knew she could not let her down by having second thoughts. She charged a quick blast she fired, throwing her hand out in front her, but Caulifla dove under it, bringing her feet forward as she grabbed her forearm to swing off of it, with the soles of her boots coming straight for her face, where they stopped, as if they had hit a wall.

"Eh..." Caulilfa, still hanging off of her, with her foot in her face, blinked in comically awkward disappointment in herself, as Kale herself stared down at her, for it was all Caulifla could muster. Kale, somehow annoyed by it, gritted her teeth and charged another blast with her free hand. She fired into Caulifla's stomach, blasting her away and the latter screamed as she was flung through the air by it, her whole body smoking. Adrift, she could barely open her fluttering eyes and involuntarily closed them, immediately, as she was barely able to handle the pain that was coursing through her entire body, which made her revert to normal. Kale was heavily breathing and her pupil's started to show, but her energy remained the same, as she realized she had gone too far.

"Caulifla...!" Her deeper voice worriedly called out and she flew towards her, but Beranise appeared between them, cutting her off from her battered friend.

"Don't lose focus! This isn't over, yet." Beranise told her, unfolding her arms. "She took this as far as she could, but _you_ still haven't." Caulifla struggled to even look up and rotate herself forward to see what was going on, as she heard Beranise speak. "We're gonna have to see where your limit is." she told Kale, who gave her an annoyed glare, as she just wanted to go to her friend's side. Beranise roiled the air around her, as she soundlessly turned Super Saiyan 4, to the further amazement of the Seven, who had never seen that form, either, but they remembered feeling its power that now permeated the entire dimension, as thickly as the energy it contained. Outside, Vados opened her eyes, glancing at the orb of light, from which she could feel what was happening inside. Beranise's exposed midriff showed her still bare abdominal muscles that were surrounded by the thick purple coat of fur.

"Holy crap, that's...eh, hairy...!" Pinch exclaimed, but trailed off in her excitement, suddenly sounding somewhat put off.

"Uh...well...maybe you shouldn't do that, either." Kurogo told her the same, despite being shaken by the power, as they all were, insinuating Pinch was already hairy enough. After a second, the latter raised her head, blinking, as it hit her.

"Hey!" she barked at Kurogo.

Kale kept staring Beranise down with a glare, barely remembering what happened the last time they fought, not even a whole day ago. But, she recalled her warning and found herself to be heeding it, as she remained in control, for herself and for Caulifla. She seemed to be exercising more restraint, as she waited for Beranise to make the first move, who was not going to let her wait for it a second longer, as in the next, she appeared in front of her, then, from the side, flickering in and out as she was testing her attention, from every angle, before attempting an attack, coming down on her, from behind, with a right elbow aimed for the side of her neck, which Kale caught with both hands and threw her over to her other side. Beranise deliberately fell below her and shot forward, sweeping her legs with a sliding kick, even as they were in the air, but as Kale fell forward from it, she immediately stopped herself and with her left foot, rammed Beranise in the side, as the latter was turning to attack her, pushing her away, instead. Kale was fighting smarter, as her mind was clear and her own, not that of a raging beast's.

Beranise turned into a burgundy streak, arcing back at Kale, with a fast left-kick from the side that Kale barely had time to block with her right forearm, supported with her left hand and the attack still slightly pushed her back a feet or two, before Kale retaliated, almost mirroring her with a similar left-kick that Beranise felt graze her cheek as she horizontally spun under it, up towards Kale, with sideways scissor-kick to her face, momentarily stunning her with the fast response. Kale could match her speed, but not the fluidity with which Beranise could immediately string an attack onto a dodge, catching her by surprise with it. She snarled at her, but continued to keep herself in check, as she could not afford to lose focus, especially when more of Beranise's kicks kept shooting close to her face and she used her hands to knock one from each foot to the side, then, she had to do the same with the fists Beranise switched to using. Kale batted them away and as both of their arms were spread apart, she charged a blast in front of her chest, without a stance and fired it, only to miss, as Beranise dodged above her, then, drop-kicked her in the face, though Kale stopped herself from plummeting deeper into the endless space. She growled up at Beranise, but at the same time, the lesson she quickly took from the hit was, she could not use the same trick twice. Not when fighting a Saiyan.

...

Goku and Vegeta, both in the normal states, were completely absorbed in trying to hit each other anywhere they could see an opening in the other one's defense, ceaseless in their assault and seemingly unaffected by fatigue, as time passed around them without either one caring or even being aware of it. Neither any usual habit nor method was evident, anymore, in either of their attacks and evasions, as if their bodies were moving on their own, reacting to each other, instantly, without any conscious thought behind it and neither one seemed to be even aware of it or anything else around them.

"Hmm..." Whis had a slight smile, as he scrutinized their movement. "Very close." he noted, out loud and Beerus was paying close attention, watching with slightly anxious intrigue. "They are just at the edge of it and yet...neither of them is falling deeper in." Whis noted, as even though Goku and Vegeta were expressionlessly dishing out and guarding against attacks, evidence of how deeply they were focused on their fight, they were still only teetering on the threshold to just the weaker state of Ultra Instinct, with neither one trying to consciously trigger it, possibly because of their recent doubt that they needed to be triggering it, in the first place, unconsciously acting on them. Entering it had to be voluntary, without any dire situation forcing it to take them over. But once in it, every action had to be, as the name of the form suggested, purely instinctual. At least, that is how they figured it should happen.

...

Beranise's fists met Kale's large ones, either getting stopped or punched down by them. One such punch from the left hit Beranise's hand to the side, which Kale followed with a swipe, using the same hand, to keep Beranise back and to bring her own hand back to her side, as she brought the other one forward to fire a blast. Beranise dodged to Kale's right, where she was open, after her attack to flank her, but Kale made a swipe, at her side, with the hand she tried to blast her with, anticipating her move, but instead of dodging, again or going under for another spin-kick counter, Beranise caught her by the forearm with both hands, pushed it up and kicked her in the side, hard, making her cry out in pain, as she was pushed away by it. Kale sneered and fired a series of blasts with the hand she still had extended. Beranise blocked the first few and moved backwards as she slapped the rest away, then, saw Kale had closed in on her, with the attack. Beranise braced herself and charged through the last couple of blasts, past Kale's reaching hand, to slug her across the face with a left-hook and though the sudden offensive seemed to catch her by surprise, Beranise received one, also, as Kale punched her in the face and off of herself with her right-fist, seemingly less fazed by the attack and as Beranise wiped a trickle of blood from the side of her mouth, she could feel Kale's energy was rising, again. It made Caulifla stir. She barely had enough strength to move her aching body and look to see what was happening.

"K-kale..." she hazily whispered, as she could feel she was becoming stronger than ever before. Her muscles were not growing bigger or they could not, but her power was. Both her hands glowed and she threw them up, slinging a hail of energy blasts towards Beranise and as the latter braced herself, withstanding the first few, Kale was on top of her, coming down with a double-fisted slam that Beranise could only mitigate using both forearms, but it still sent her downwards and she winced from the force of it. Such a combo meant Kale still had her mind and was thinking about her moves, Beranise briefly analyzed, before Kale plunged, feet forward, towards her and she rolled out of her way as she shot past her, but Kale grabbed her by the left-ankle, pulling her with her and threw her further down, where there was fortunately no solid ground to crash into, but the energy Kale was charging in both hands was going to make up for that.

Beranise still could not even slow herself as Kale fired the distressingly large beam of energy down at her. She gathered all the energy she could into her fists and brought them forward, punching the wave, then, she pressed against it, while she also tried to slow herself, as the wave kept pushing her down. Kale did not let up and even though Beranise still had most of her strength, unlike in her fight against Champa, she struggled to fight the deluge of destructive force threatening to swallow her. She managed to gradually slow it and herself, but could not completely hold it back. Deciding she wasted enough energy, she took certain injury and rolled out of it, instead, getting burned by the wave. She panted, glaring up at Kale and rapidly rose, as the latter stopped her attack, when she saw her coming. Beranise mustered all her speed and turned into a purple comet, zig-zagging towards her, as Kale threw a few large blasts her way. She put more power behind the next, using both hands to hurl it down. Beranise rolled her legs up and smashed through it, feet forward, breaking it apart and kicked Kale in the chin with them, in a leg-uppercut, completely rolling back from it to face her as Kale did the same, growling with a bleeding mouth. Her annoyance was a sign the attack did as much damage as Beranise could hope to do, but she knew it was also the last time her attacks would have any effect on Kale, in the state they were both in, as she glared up at her. Caulifla was slightly grinning to herself.

"You got her...eh, heh." she smilingly groaned, seeing Kale clearly had the upper-hand.

...

Vegeta gritted his teeth, as his growing frustration with the fight's progress started to interfere with his lack of concentration, as odd as that sounded and he was slipping back into thinking about more than just himself, Goku and their bout. He was losing more than his focus, with it, as Goku still seemed to be in a trance and as Vegeta began having difficulty anticipating, blocking, dodging and countering him, it was obvious Goku was having more success maintaining his own lack of mental effort. Then he felt it.

"Now..." Whis quietly stated and as Goku drove a fist into Vegeta's crossed forearms, making him wince, the latter saw his eyes brighten and shine silver as a white energy enveloped his form. Vegeta growled in annoyance as he pushed away from him.

"Tch. Figures it would come easier for you. You barely think about anything besides fighting, as it is." he commented, but Goku did not seem to register it and it unnerved Vegeta some.

...

Kale descended on Beranise with a downward punch that she, intention aside, ended up actually avoiding only by a hair's breadth and she grabbed Kale's large arm, throwing her over her shoulder and downwards. She dove, stomping Kale on the back and jumped off, staying away, as Kale immediately twisted around with a swipe of her hand, likely attempting to grab her, in case she stuck close. Unlike the last time Beranise fought her at full power, she knew she would not escape her, if Kale could grab a hold of her, this time. She spent the next minute narrowly avoiding her increasingly faster attacks and the ones she could meet with her own, she could barely nullify, as Kale's hits were getting stronger, as well. Caulifla quietly chuckled to herself, enjoying her friend's performance, as the Seven worriedly looked on, having no idea how Beranise was even planning on holding out any longer. Kale nearly had her, when Beranise pulled her legs up and thrust them into her chest, firing a blast from them and propelled herself backward, putting some much needed distance between them. Kale coughed on the smoke it made, then glared after her, seeing she was out of ideas. Beranise was catching her breath, then, she let out a deeper one and straightened up, as if she was about to yield, but all knew that was unlikely.

"Now..." she started and Kale raised a brow. "It's time for _my_ training." Beranise said and reverted to normal. Kale narrowed her eyes, in confusion and the others did not understand, either, what she could have possibly meant by that, as she closed her eyes. Kale had her beaten and she was not going to give her a chance to somehow turn the fight around. She went at her, even as Beranise was still not moving and reached out, with her hand being inches away from grabbing her by the neck. It started to close around it, when Kale felt a strange, yet, familiar sensation and as she nearly had her in her grip, she grabbed empty air, as Beranise vanished, impossibly fast. She quickly looked around to find Beranise behind her and as the latter's eyes were still closed, she slowly turned to face her, noticing her hair was standing up, almost appearing similar to her Super Saiyan form, but what confused Kale was the lack of energy she felt from her. Everyone was as uncertain what to make of her as Kale, then, Beranise slowly opened her silver eyes and their piercing gaze immediately drew a memory from both Kale and Caulifla, who recalled Goku, when he awakened that same power against Jiren.

"Oh, crap..." Caulifla muttered, feeling it was bad for Kale, who growled at Beranise, knowing she was still very much in the fight as she fixated her eyes on her. The Seven also felt a familiar jolt.

"This...this is what she wanted..." Kayen whispered, remembering when she briefly saw Beranise's eyes that one time she practiced against all seven of them.

"Super Saiyan 3 and 4 felt insane!" Kurogo exclaimed. "But...I don't feel anything from...whatever this is." she said, unsure if it was good or bad. Outside, Vados' eyes opened and turned towards the glow, as she could tell by what she did not feel, anymore, that the real training had begun. Beranise slowly breathed, then, exhaled, her gaze unchanging, as she, too, was seemingly keeping more control than ever before.

_The lessons and the action are nonstop! After getting both pointers and pain from Beranise, Caulifla and Kale swore they'd help each other get stronger. But, after Caulifla took things as far as she could, it came down to Beranise to draw out Kale's maximum and even her perfected Super Saiyan 4 couldn't stand up to her, anymore. Now, Beranise, along with Goku, had tapped into the beyond divine state of Ultra Instinct, ready to push their bodies, again and again. But, how long can they keep it up? And how long will Kale and Vegeta last, this time? Limits are bound to be broken, once again…on the next Dragon Ball Super! _


	12. Episode 11

**Episode 11**

**Good Omens **

"Damn it..." Caulifla cursed under her breath, as she regained enough energy to observe the fight, without getting more pain just from breathing and orienting herself.

Kale flared up, gathering some power and rushed at Beranise, right-foot swinging for a field-kick, but Beranise fluidly bent forward and under it, doing a complete turn, to her other side, hovering inches from Kale, whose leg was still stretched out, barely at the end of her kick and she was still facing forward. Her surprise was quickly gone as she turned her head to the right, hitting only the ghostly mirage of Beranise, who had already moved behind her, when she swung down at her with her left fist. Kale kept turning in every direction, trying to follow and hit her, growing more annoyed and angry with every passing second that meant another dozen attacks Beranise had evaded, as she seemed to move circles around each one of them, in a blink of eye.

Kale had enough and with a vicious growl curled up into a deep green sphere that pulsed and bathed everything in the same menacing hue. Then she spread her limbs, showering the energy in every direction, making the others scatter and hoped Beranise would not be able to avoid an omni-directional barrage from point-blank range, but even as she screamed, exerting all that power, she could see Beranise, with strangely graceful spins almost dancing around every single orb that flew her way, without even batting an eye at any one of them, as if disregarding their very existence meant they would not touch her. And to Kale's further frustration, they did not. So she let up, took a stance and started powering up even more. Less gradually than before, but considerably further than her earlier maximum. Beranise merely lingered close, her face unflinching, waiting for Kale to give it all she had.

...

Vegeta screamed, powering up to his own, unique, Royal Blue form, to face an eerily calm Goku, who gave him just enough time to assume his strongest form, before he would prove it was still a far cry from the power they had to master.

"Curse you, Kakarot..." Vegeta muttered. "I won't go down in a mere second _this time_!" he swore.

Goku flickered in front of him, provoking a punch, then, he moved around him, in the same fashion Beranise did with Kale and bent away from Vegeta's attacks in an admittedly less graceful, but not entirely rigid motion, same as he did against Kefla and Jiren. He was lax in the arms, until he actually let Vegeta in, close enough, where he used them to effortlessly see through and unblinkingly block his attacks, as they were slow enough to him that he could have blocked, dodged or countered every one of them, in every possible way, in the moment they happened and to any lesser warrior it would have looked like he only did it one way. But, he was focusing on all of it, on Vegeta and on their fight, to prolong the state he could finally consciously hold for more than a few seconds, as Vegeta was burning himself out with every attack just to keep him on the move. Vegeta suddenly backed off, staying at a good distance to strike his signature pose for his Final Flash and erupted, with narrow bolts of lightning lashing around him as he gathered all the energy he could, while Goku stood by to let him.

...

The Seven could not believe that Beranise was able to turn the tables so much, without the raw power of Super Saiyan 4 that they could actually measure. It became entirely ineffective and Beranise herself, completely helpless, against Kale's still welling power. The latter stopped powering up and panted, a little, refocused on Beranise and as her green light reflected and flashed across the latter's eyes, she put her fist through an instantly evaporating image of her face, demonstrating a massive surge in speed, besides strength, that she flashed around with, trying to catch Beranise. But, despite her new plateau, it was still not enough to even touch her.

"No fricking way..." Caulifla cursed Beranise. "She can't be _this much_ better." She could not believe her eyes.

"I...I can only see them...when they stop." Kayen's eyes wavered as she struggled to even find them fast enough in the brief moments Kale paused between some attacks to locate Beranise, since she could not feel her, either, as the latter waited for her attacks. To the others, it looked like Kale's limbs were disappearing in a blur as she assaulted something that was not even there, only for her to disappear, as well, from time to time, then, reappear with Beranise briefly flickering away from her, leaving her floating in mid-air at the end of every attack, as if nothing happened. And nothing did. They knew Kale never even hit Beranise, as they have not felt the shocks from the impact of any successful attack. They were straining themselves just to catch glimpses of them, before they would engage, practically turning invisible to them.

"Is this...how gods fight...?" Shirogo whispered, staring in awe with the rest. They understood, then, what Beranise meant by finding new levels of power none of them ever even dreamed of, only to find a realm beyond even those. Vados was floating some distance behind them, at the exit point, silently observing the developments.

Beranise swayed around another one of Kale's punches, turning outwards and delivered a quick jab to her side with her fist that ended up being an elbow embedded in it, as the two attacks impossibly happened almost simultaneously. Kale snarled, in an even deeper voice as she was pushed back, gritting her teeth from the intense pain as her eyes twitched. But, with incredibly endurance, considering the form she was fighting, she immediately attacked back, lashing out, lightning fast, reaching with a hand to grab Beranise. It was slapped to the side, almost at the same time as her head and vision jerked to her left and right, as three strikes were made against her, one at her hand and two in each side of her face, all three in the time it took for her arm to reach towards Beranise. Due to the damage she took, she strained herself to even turn her head back and face forward, only to find Beranise floating a few feet in front of her. Kale lunged at her, which Beranise likely allowed, as she got her into a crushing bear hug and started squeezing, all the while baring her teeth.

"NOW, YOU'RE MINE!" she boomed in her face, but her last word barely left her when she jerked back, then, tumbled forward and got kicked down, as Beranise appeared with a foot in her back, after she broke out of her hold, swiped her foot to make her face downwards and moved above her to stomp on her, all in a blink of an eye. For several long seconds, Kale remained facedown, her body shaking from the pain that infuriated her. She suddenly started spasming and her knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists so hard, while she internally screamed through gritted teeth. She was unable to contain her power, anymore.

"Oh, no...Kale..." Caulifla fearfully whispered, as this was the worst she had ever seen her.

...

Vegeta was ready to unleash the strongest blast he had ever prepared, as Goku waited for it.

_"His form was perfect when he made a mockery of Jiren's attack."_ Vegeta recalled when Goku first assumed the perfected state of Ultra Instinct. He doubted his attack was going to fare much better, even against an imperfect version. But, he was not going to back down from it. "Show me what this form can _really_ do, Kakarot!" he told Goku, as if needed him to make him feel its strength, so that he would remember it and eventually make it his own. "FINAL FLASH!" He fired off his wave that was about to swallow Goku whole, when he pulled his hand back, focusing an attack of his own and threw his palm forward. It did not immediately negate Vegeta's attack and Goku gritted his teeth, then, putting more force behind his own, released a white blast that cut its way through Vegeta's, breaking apart his Final Flash and hit him in the gut, with enough force to make him spit all the saliva in his mouth. For a brief moment, Vegeta's deep blue eyes turned normal, but he held on and kept his form, as he doubled over in pain, holding his stomach. "N-not this time...I...won't let you..." he muttered, swearing he would not let his rival nearly knock him out cold, like last time. He would remain standing and lifted his head to see Goku was looking at his own hand, after what he did with it, almost as if he was not even certain it was his own. He clenched his fist and looked at Vegeta, with the same unreadable and cold stare, which he, then, directed up at Whis.

"Mh, hm hm..." Whis lightly chuckled, amused. "Don't get greedy, now!" he raised his voice from the balcony, advising him against attacking him out of sheer curiosity to test his power some more. Goku gave it a second thought, having decided he was not nearly ready for that fight, yet and turned back to Vegeta, who winced, as he himself was not exactly in any shape to continue.

"Tch. Well, don't look at me, idiot!" Vegeta told him, not having much strength left to fight him, even as Blue, never mind as he was.

"It wasn't that easy, you know!" Goku spoke, in a serious tone and it surprised Vegeta, but not as much as his words. "This wasn't enough against someone like Jiren." he told him.

_"Obviously!"_ Vegeta replied, as it was evident, since Goku was beaten the first time he used the form against Jiren and had he not temporarily gained mastery over it, Jiren's absolute power would have still won in the end.

"Stopping you, now, took more than that first fight I had with him like this." Vegeta's eyes widened. "Even if it didn't look like I had to try that much." Goku added and Vegeta was annoyed by it.

"Don't you _dare_ patronize me!" he yelled at him.

"What Goku is trying to tell you..." Whis spoke. "Is that you both have improved, greatly, in such a short time, since the tournament. And despite how you may see it, you are _not falling behind him_." he explained, but it did not comfort him any. When he turned back to Goku, he saw he had reverted to his normal state and he was just as surprised by it as Vegeta was, who just found his loss of control annoying, as Goku looked himself over, wondering what happened. "Nicely done!" He looked up as Whis commended both of their performance. "I do believe both of you are ready to give Lord Beerus more than a good run for his money." he stated, with some smugness, knowing Beerus' sensitive ears could hear it and he saw them twitch and his eyes narrow at him, when he turned back to glance at him.

"Wow! That was _weird_!" Goku exclaimed, his tone back to normal. "I know going through all the different forms of Super Saiyan kinda comes with some attitude, but...I felt like a completely different guy, this time! Like, _way _different." he noted. "Just like when I used it at the tournament."

"It's only natural." Whis replied. "Besides the lack of any unnecessary thoughts and concerns, what is also absent, in the case of Saiyans, is the often excessive bravado and other hindering personality traits that can surface with their different forms." he pointed out. "That is not to say that emotions, for example, are completely locked out, as you well recall." He referred to when Goku became enraged after Jiren targeted the others with a blast. And such negative emotions were fueling another Saiyan.

...

Kale looked as if she was retching and suddenly started rising high above, like a bright green sun, radiating her power. The very air around them was slowly being cooked as she let out a pulse, one, two, three times, shifting the air and drawing in all the energy with a deep, desperate cry, as if she needed more. When it finally peeked, her wail turned into a ferocious, animalistic roar as she released all she had in a wide, monstrous torrent, down upon a completely calm and undeterred Beranise, as everyone else could only look on in terror, seeing her disappear in the rushing flood of energy that could have destroyed a whole galaxy.

A glint appeared, as if a sun's light was reflected off of something silver. It moved, growing more brilliant and faster, as it ascended through Kale's beam, then, it seemed to stretch as it vanished, for a moment, only to emerge, bursting forth, in front of a shocked Kale, right up from between her outstretched hands. The rising star dimmed to reveal Beranise, entirely unharmed. Kale, completely taken over by the desire to finish her, raised her hands, directing her beam horizontally at her, with the others all behind Beranise, at a distance. Fear showed on their faces and Beranise's fists flashed white, as they panicked, but the attack never reached them, as it was split into a v-shape, missing them, when Beranise lunged forward, ramming Kale in the chest with both fists, stopping the source of the wave and Kale's breathing, who immediately clutched her chest, unable to make a sound. Her power immediately began to ebb and she slowly shrank back to her smallest Super Saiyan form, before it, too, was blown out, like a candle, when Beranise suddenly struck her with a palm, from the back. Kale fell forward, in her normal state and gasped, as she could breath, again. She kept panting as she slowly drifted forward, in severe pain, her eyes still wide, as she barely believed all that has happened.

Vados looked past Kale to see Beranise, with her back turned, was looking her dead in the eyes, from the corner of hers. Kale slowly turned around and was momentarily mortified, as the look Beranise was giving Vados could have actually killed any lesser being if she had tried. She glanced at Vados, before she noticed Caulifla and all that she had done suddenly came rushing back to her, as she did towards Caulifla.

"Caulifla...!" she slowed and stopped short of hugging her, as she saw, from up close, all the bruises she gave to her and she teared up from the sight of what she was capable of. "I-I'm...I'm so sor-..."

"Hey! Don't you _dare_ apologize, now, you hear me!?" Caulifla smirked. "You were amazing out there! You totally wrecked me!" she exclaimed, proud that she mopped the proverbial floor with her. "And you beat her, too!" she pointed behind Kale, at Beranise, then, back at Kale. "Don't even think you didn't! I bet she wasn't even sure if she could pull off whatever the heck this is." she muttered, glancing at Beranise. "And if she hadn't, she'd have been toast! She couldn't even touch you, back there and you were still getting stronger!" she reminded Kale and looked over her shoulder at Beranise. "Hey! You hear that!? Kale was handing you your ass, until you pulled whatever _that_ is out of it to win!" she complainingly gloated for Kale, but Beranise was like a statue, fixated on Vados, not reacting. Caulifla raised a brow and glanced between her and Vados. "This, again?" she said. "_What is it_ between these two?" She was already tired of it.

At any other time, before, Beranise would have launched herself at Vados, as long as she was in the form, but, oddly enough, now that she was holding it, she was not attacking her with it and Vados noticed her lack of intent. She figured Beranise had decided not to engage her until she felt she could. With the hint of a smile, Vados literally bowed out with a small forward bend from the waist, exiting the dimension. Beranise slowly inhaled and exhaled, exuding a power no one could actually feel, but they sure witnessed it. She turned to the Seven and Kayen, in particular, who was briefly shaken by her gaze, but she understood her silent command and she turned to the rest.

"We should get back to training! Come on!" she told them and they snapped out of their awe-struck reverie, their minds still unable to even grasp the kind of force they have witnessed, but they paired up, again to resume practice. Kayen turned to look back at Beranise, who kept glaring off into the infinite space, the session over for her.

...

"You want us to train back on Earth?" Goku repeated what he had just been told by an annoyed Beerus.

"One of these days, you're gonna destroy my planet and I'm not gonna wait for that to happen! I'm the Destroyer, here! Only I'm allowed to destroy what's mine...besides anything else!" he folded his arms.

"Seriously...?" Vegeta groaned, finding his reasoning ridiculous.

"It _does_ sound like an excuse, My Lord." Whis had a small smile, as only he could safely get away with saying such things out loud. Beerus growled at him.

"Rrrghh...I'm allowed excuses, too!" Beerus did not have anything better to respond with, as transparent as he already was.

"Where are we supposed to let loose, then?" Goku asked. "This place is perfect! I mean, Whis can just repair everything, anyway, right?"

"You should not look a gift horse in the mouth." Whis stated.

"Eww, why would I wanna look any horse in the mouth?" Goku completely missed his meaning and Vegeta buried his face in his palm, as Beerus' whole face twitched, while Whis sighed.

"Admittedly, we cannot really expect you to slowly destroy the landscape of Earth, with every day of training, either." Whis pointed out.

"Says _you_!" Beerus told him, being stubborn about wanting them off his planet.

"Well, we cannot come to a decision, yet, it seems." Whis said. "Perhaps after a proper lunch, back on Earth, we can come to an arrangement." he suggested, turning to Beerus, who nodded. "I shall call Lady Bulma and tell her to expect us. We could forgo the use of your Instant Transmission, as well, Goku..." he told him. "And give them time to prepare for us."

"Uh...sure." Goku shrugged, fine with the idea, either way, while Vegeta silently folded his arms.

"We know at least one person, other than Lord Beerus, who will be delighted to have you back on planet Earth." Whis knowingly stated with a smile.

...

"Thank you! That is _definitely_ the best idea, Lord Beerus!" Chi-Chi, with Goten by her side, placed her palms together, then, put them on her hips, glaring at Goku, next to Beerus, making him lean back. "Now, whenever he's _not_ training, he can work on our livelihood, _out on the field_, again" she menacingly said, practically marching him out, onto it and Vegeta smirked at that with a brief internal laugh. At least, he was getting some satisfaction out of it and certainly more than Goku.

"But, where else are you two gonna go, if not the desert?" Bulma folded her arms.

"We...haven't really thought about it." Goku sheepishly said, with an apologetic shrug.

"Well, I can't exactly put that barrier I have for you, in the garden, around an entire desert." Bulma complainingly put her hands on her hips, thought for a second and turned to leave with a sigh. "Give me some time...I'll see if I can come up with something." she said, already tired and Goku excitedly already took whatever she would do as granted.

"Whatever would either of you do without her?" Whis smiled and felt some new arrivals. They all looked up to see Gohan and Piccolo flying in.

"Gohan! Piccolo, hey!" Goku cheerily greeted them.

"Hey, dad." Gohan nodded.

"Let me guess, Lord Beerus got tired of you destroying his place." Piccolo had a small smile, as he glanced at Beerus, who shot him a glare.

"Good guess." Whis smilingly replied in Beerus's stead.

"How's training going, Gohan?" Goku asked.

"Well, I could ask you the same, but, actually..." Gohan turned to Whis. "I...hit wall." he said and Whis raised his head, expecting what he would say next. "Whis...I..." he bowed. "Want to ask if…if you'd train me, like my father and Vegeta." It seemed to surprise the two of them, but not Whis.

"I had a feeling you may also want to aim higher, after the tournament." Whis smiled. "You _are_ part Saiyan, after all and therefore, unable to settle when there is more power to be had. And you're _correct_ in thinking you're not as strong as you could be, yet." Gohan glanced up at him, with both surprise and relief, then, straightened back up, his suspicions confirmed.

"I wasn't fooling myself, then." he stated, narrowing his eyes, with determination.

"You would not have made it this far, if you could falsely convince yourself." Whis stated and Gohan had a small smile.

"I don't know about that." he said. "Sounds like _someone_ we used to know _did_." he glanced at Vegeta, who gave him a glare, immediately understanding he was talking about their time on Namek, where his old self kept talking about his own power and potential, completely sure of both, even against Frieza, which resulted in his death. But, he was a different person and since those days, all of them made it much farther than any of them could have imagined, back then. Of course, now, they _were_ convinced of their own limits. That is, some of them were sure they had none.

"Hm." Whis seemed to catch his meaning, as did Goku, who smirked at Vegeta and the latter told him to shut up with a glare. "Very well." Whis accepted him. "We shall see how far you can go."

"Thank you!" Gohan graciously bowed.

"What about you, Piccolo?" Goku asked, tilting his head with an inviting smile and Piccolo laughingly harrumphed at it.

"Hmph. After fighting those two, at the tournament, I'm convinced I'm as strong as a single Namekian can possibly be. And I'm already _three_ people. Well, technically _two_, since Kami and I used to be one." he replied.

"Dende did tell me, years ago, he could recognize Nail in you, even before we figured you fused." Gohan noted and Piccolo smiled, as he already knew Dende, as well, more than just by his name, when they first met, through Nail's memories.

"Then as soon as Lady Bulma finds a solution to where you could safely continue your training, for both Lord Beerus' and your planet's sake, we can begin." Whis spoke and Gohan eagerly nodded.

"We're gonna need a good time-out, after the one _we_ just had!" Goku exclaimed, painful stretching his limbs.

"Hmph. Speak for yourself!" Vegeta quickly told him, as he was not going to show any tiredness that could have been seen as weakness.

...

Back at Beranise's palace, Caulifla, Kale, Kayen, Perille, Kurogo, Shirogo, Shoga, Nori and Pinch were all lying on their backs, in their own beds, limbs spread, bellies visibly full, exhausted and barely able to move, after they have nearly eaten themselves all the way to a food-coma.

Beranise appeared from the staff's dimension, greeted by Vados, who had her hands behind her back as she walked up to it, raising a hand to summon the staff back into it.

"You missed lunch. And there's nothing left. What a pity." she said without even the hint of any in her small smile. Beranise passed her without even looking at her and she predictably had little to know reaction to it, as she turned to follow her.

"Stop following me!" Beranise added. "And from now on, whenever we're in there, you'll stay out!" she ordered her, for once.

"Was that an actual order?" Vados somewhat teasingly asked, but after several seconds, she was not expecting a response, anymore. "As you wish." she obeyed and halted, leaving her side, as well. Beranise walked on, towards her quarters.

...

Back on Earth, in the afternoon, Vegeta, incapable of standing or sitting idly by, was training inside the spaceship, under several hundred times normal gravity, just to prove he did not need as much rest as Goku, who was dozing off under a tree, in the middle of the inner garden, while Lord Beerus and Whis were being wheeled desserts and delicacies the planet still had no shortage of, fortunately for both them and the Earth. Videl brought Pan over and the latter was chasing both her and Gohan, in the air, outside, having an easier time catching and cuddling her mother than her father, as he had to intentionally move slower, but was still continually surprised by her speed. Goten was doing his homework on the balcony, while Trunks gently rocked his sleeping baby sister in his arms with Mai fawning over her. Chi-Chi was sitting at a table with Bulma, who was on the phone, talking about what sounded like a larger purchase she was planning to make.

"If you think that's crazy, try buying an entire planet." she was telling to the person on the other end and waited, listening. "Oh, trust me, there are people out there who make a living off of it. Or did, anyway." she added, then, remembered she was not speaking to someone in the know, as they were skeptical of what she let slip. "Oh, ehm, right...of course I was just joking." She waved it away and listened, again, nodded and laughed. "Yeah, I guess I _could_ write a book about it." she smiled. "Maybe even hire someone to make a comic for kids!" she joked, as an afterthought, while the sun sunk lower in the sky.

...

On Sadala it was halfway down, still lightly warming the rows of training men and women of the Defense Force, overseen by Cabba and the retired Renso. Somewhere out in their universe, Hit was finishing off another practically nameless mark, and looked at the lifeless body, then, his hand, with the hint of a frown, seemingly taking little, if any, excitement from his work. He rarely felt as enticed as when he fought in the grand tournament or the one before that and he realized that. He appeared to even miss it. To be forced to improve himself.

...

In the 11th Universe, all of the Pride Troopers who participated in the tournament were scattered around on different worlds, fighting criminals of every kind. Those who were foolish enough to think they could get away were swiftly taken down. Dyspo and Toppo stood side by side, atop a tall still intact building, observing the damage that was wrought, taking solace in knowing they stopped more. Jiren appeared behind them and they turned.

"Jiren...perhaps you feel as unsated as we are." Toppo addressed him. "These lowly criminals are no match for our power. In order for us to become stronger ourselves, we must find opponents worthy of our might." he clenched a fist. "And that may be the hardest task we have undertaken, thus far."

"Yeah. Especially if we gotta find someone who's even close to you." Dyspo told him. "I got a feelin' we definitely won't find 'em in _our_ universe."

"But, if not here, that only leaves the 7th." Toppo replied. "And we are already familiar with Goku and his comrades. Perhaps we need to expect a challenge from elsewhere. From one of the universes who were exempt from the tournament, perhaps. Their average level was far above that of the others."

"Oh, yeah!" Dyspo realized the possibilities. "Man, there's gotta be some serious power in those universes, if they got to skip dukin' in out with us!"

"Indeed." Toppo nodded. "And finding a way to meet them may be as simple as asking Lord Velmod and Miss Marcarita or even the Grand Priest himself to allow us a meeting with those universes' strongest warriors." he looked at himself, realizing something. "Hm. How strange! I have never been this excited at the thought of fighting stronger beings than myself, purely for the joy of it. I always believed thirsting for battle, in such a manner, was evil and barbaric. But, now..." he raised both fists. "Now I am beginning to understand...Goku. How he feels. What drives him so!" He looked at Jiren. "His obsession with fighting. The two of you are not _entirely_ dissimilar." Jiren remained silent, though he was likely in agreement.

...

The fields and forests on the sacred planet of the 6th Universe's Supreme Kai were bathed in the dimming light of its setting sun, while above, Vados stood outside, on the balcony of the palace, staff in hand, observing Caulifla and Kale's sparring session. They were in their normal states, but they were not horsing around, as both seemed serious. The usual timidity on Kale's face was not present, as Caulifla attacked her and the latter seemed to be worked up about something.

"She barely gives us a break and on top of all that she has this _new_ thing she can just bust out, now, if she's losing!" she vented and kept punching and kicking, all of which Kale could block, but narrowly. "And whatever it is, it's _way_ stronger than 3 or _Blue_." she stated. "But, if she can do it, then, so can I! I'm not gonna let her just beat us down, every time!" she declared, aiming to get as strong as a Saiyan could be.

Vados silently watched, but turned around as a familiar spiraling portal opened, heralding the arrival of the Grand Priest, who was holding a staff in one hand, the other behind his back, as he emerged to stand before her.

"Greetings, Sir!" Vados courteously bowed before her father, who returned it.

"To you, as well, Vados!" he cheerily said. "I trust all is going well with the new occupants." He looked behind Vados, at Caulifla and Kale, further out in the air, who paid him no mind, unsurprised by their presence. "I tested your staff, before bringing it back, including its more basic functions, to leave nothing unchecked." he referred to looking through it to see the goings on at the palace. "With that I believe I have finished the repairs." he announced. "It should work without any unwanted side-effects, now." he informed her.

"Thank you very much! Then I can return this one to you." She presented him with the staff he lent her, but he did not immediately take it.

"Shouldn't its dimension be open?" The Grand Priest replied. "I thought our unofficial Destroyer must be inside."

"She is." Vados confirmed. "However, she ordered me not to enter when she is in there. Then she told me to close the entrance and to only reopen it after a few hours." she added and had a slightly mischievous smile. "She does not want me to peek or to be able to sense what is happening inside." She was slightly amused by the secrecy.

"How _is_ she progressing in her training?" he inquired.

"A little more slowly than she would like, I'm afraid." Vados critiqued Beranise. "She can use the form willingly, but it is not nearly as effective as when she first fell into it, at the tournament. _And_ she can only sustain it for only a few minutes, against a _single_ opponent. So, it is not quite as potent as it could be, imperfect as it is."

"I see. Goku's performance was quite impressive, but it seems that truly mastering it is going to take even these Saiyans some time." The Grand Priest commented and they were not expecting anything more, anytime soon.

Unbeknownst to them, inside the dimension, the Super Seven were in the middle of a completely unsuccessful melee battle against Beranise, who opened her glowing silver eyes, drawing twin trails of light with them, as she flowed around all of their attacks, avoiding them with ease and maintained control over the imperfect form of Ultra Instinct. Clearly she had been holding it for longer and with less effort, now, also able to focus on more opponents, only a mere half-a-day later, proving that Vados and the Angels still underestimated her and what Saiyans were truly capable of in such a short time.

_Proving the expectations of the Grand Priest and the Angel wrong, Beranise is already farther ahead, leapfrogging over her limits, while Goku leaps and bounds with every session along with her. And now Gohan is stepping up, ready to receive the same training that allowed his father and Vegeta to look inside and enter the realm of the gods themselves. How far will they it all from here? And how fast? With Cell secretly building his own power for his revenge and the other universes doing the same for an inevitable rematch, how long will it be until these forces meet? The writing is one the wall. But, for who? It remains to be seen…on Dragon Ball Super! _


	13. Episode 12

**Episode 12**

**Diplomacy **

In a darkened, spacious, sparsely furnished and carpeted room, the walls and corners of which could not even be seen from the lack of light, but which was filled with the sounds of fighting, pillows were scattered in the middle, where the Seven, dressed in their sleep-wear, were huddled together, fixated on the large projection from the staff that was showing the Tournament of Power, as if they were watching a movie. They were all gaping at the scene of Goku's grand return, when he first used Ultra Instinct against Jiren. Caulifla, cross-legged and arms folded and Kale, hugging her knees to herself, both with a frown, sat slightly apart from them, not as thrilled to relive someone else's glory. Beranise and Vados sat on a cabriole, in the back, in almost complete darkness, their faces barely illuminated, as was the bare, cold, marble wall behind them. Vados watched with her usual passivity, while Beranise was either elsewhere in thought or cared little about it, as she already saw it. She did not immediately react, when Vados quietly spoke to her.

"I take it the week's training had to have been rather successful, if you are treating them to a showing. Of course, I would not know, since you forbade me from observing." she added, not in any way complaining.

"That was the point." Beranise muttered, without moving anything but her mouth, looking ahead, at the heated battle. Vados gave her a glance and remained silent for a moment, looking back at the film.

"Have you ever heard the tale of the monkey that tried to catch the moon?" she asked and Beranise slowly turned to her with half a glare and a brow raised at the title which Vados herself knew was incidentally and mockingly relatable for a Saiyan. "The monkey in question sees the moon's reflection on the surface of a pond and wants to catch it." Vados started the little story, while Jiren fought Goku. "It reaches for the moon, but only disturbs the serenity of the pond and the image of the moon vanishes in the ripples." Goku's form failed, as Jiren stopped his fist and blasted him away. "He is only ever able to reach but a reflection of it, never even knowing it is only that." Vados continued, as the action lulled, but the tension grew. "On the surface, no pun intended, the moral of the story seems to be that our monkey is trying to reach for new heights, to the heavens even, but it is unable and never will be able to. However, that is not what the story _actually_ means to teach." Beranise looked like she was about to tell her to get to the point already. "The real message is that even if or when the monkey is able to reach what it tries to...what happens after? Once it is able to grab the moon, what then?" she turned to Beranise and dropped every analogy. "Say, that by some miracle you _can_ beat us. What will you accomplish? And what will you do after...that, in your mind, matters anything beyond that?" she asked her, plainly and to her surprise the reply was fast.

"That's not the point." Beranise stated.

"Pardon?" Vados blinked. "You mean it is not the point of the story or not why you want to become strong enough? You made it abundantly clear and in _no uncertain terms_, why you want to reach our level." she noted.

"Beating you just to prove I can or because you deserve it isn't _why_ I want to do it." Beranise said.

"Then why?" Vados asked, almost disinterested, as if she could not even take her threat seriously, but still had to ask.

"You'll see." Beranise muttered, not looking at her, but it looked like she had an answer she was only going to give when the time came.

"Hh-Yeah-Heah! Here we go!" Caulifla's loud cheer rang out, as they got to her and Kale's finest moments and the movie-night slowly passed in silence, at least for Vados and Beranise.

...

The Seven, Caulifla and Kale walked through the torch-lit corridors, towards their quarters, with Vados and Beranise trailing farther behind them.

"That tournament was the sh-...!" Kurogo raised her fists.

"Most amazing fight we've ever seen." Shirogo elbowed her, cutting her swearing off and rephrased her one word. Kurogo elbowed her sister back.

"And thanks to the slow-motion, we could actually see all the fights we wouldn't even have been able to follow at all." Kayen noted.

"Yeah. Like that Hit guy, when he fought the one with the long ears." Pinch said.

"He really does fight like you, Perille." Kayen stated. "Or..._you_ fight like _him_, rather." she corrected herself.

"I like his fighting style." Perille said, surprising the others with her candid mention of something she likes and Kayen realized it was no coincidence she had a similar way of fighting.

"What I wanna know is..." Shoga started. "What was that whole thing with those earrings and them two..." she thumbed at Caulifla and Kale behind them. "Just turning into one tough lass!" Caulifla had a haughty look about her. Kayen glanced back at them.

"Yeah. That was fusion." Kayen said. "I only ever heard about it, but I've never seen it."

"Yeah, I 'eard them two litt'l weird-heads got told as much..." Shoga referred to the Zenos receiving an explanation. "But, I still don't get how the hell somethin' like that can even 'appen!"

"Apparently, it's...not that complicated." Kayen mused, as Vados and Beranise heard their spirited discussion.

"Well, they had a fun time, it seems." Vados commented. "It predictably excited them, which could only benefit their training. Which, in hindsight, was the plan, I assume." she kept looking ahead.

"I'm gonna see where the other universes are for myself." Beranise spoke and Vados turned to her.

"You want to visit them to see their strongest warriors, I take it." Vados asked.

"Well, not all of them." Beranise muttered with some disgust and clear disinterest in some of them. "Only the ones who actually had to fight. Except for the 9th and the 11th. I'm not interested in the cutthroats or those troopers. And I don't wanna see that gasbag Kai or the clown."

"Lord Velmod might not even understand why you are referring to him with that particular word. In your universe it may have one meaning, but in theirs, it may not even exists as you know it." Vados pointed out, but Beranise did not care. "In any case..." Vados continued. "If we are skipping the four exempt universes, the 9th and the 11th, with our universe being an obvious exception, that only leaves a handful of universes for us to visit, namely the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th and the 10th." she listed. "We shall make a day out of it, then." she stated, sounding as if she was looking forward to it and Beranise did not react to her possibly feigned enthusiasm as they walked on.

Planets, their moons, stars, entire systems and even the vast galaxies that held them all slowly turned. Night has lifted, chased away by suns that rose higher in the sky for those who learned to measure the arbitrary construct that was time by the movement of these often revered - and hence aptly named - celestial bodies.

...

It was already midday when Beranise and Vados appeared from a beam of light, in the 10th Universe, outside of Rumush's modest palace, with Beranise sighing on arrival.

"That rat from the 4th and that Kai from the 9th should be put together. Seems like a better fit." she commented about Quitela and Roh. "And that guy in the robot suit wasn't even the weirdest one from the 3rd universe. The whole place looked like someone went way overboard with their science project." she muttered, unfolding her arms when they saw Gowasu slowly approaching to greet them, with some apparent trepidation.

"Welcome...Lord Beranise!" he stopped in his bow, when Beranise gave him an annoyed glare at the use of the title.

"Don't call me that! And don't bow!" she told him and Gowasu straightened up, slightly frightened.

"Y-yes! M-my apologies!" he lowered his head, understanding she was against being addressed as if she was above anyone, even if it was only for courtesy. "May I ask...what brings you to our universe?"

"I _may_ want to see if those towers of fat and meat you call fighters have gotten any stronger since the tournament." Beranise folded her arms and seeing the frightful, yet disappointed look on his face already gave her the answer. "Or I can just skip seeing _them_..." she said with an ill tone. "And go straight to the strongest person here."

"Lord Rumush?" Gowasu got alarmed she was challenging him.

"No." Beranise said, which surprised both him and Vados, who arced a brow at her.

"But...we do not have anyone stronger or...even close to my Lord, I'm...sorry to say." Gowasu apologetically said, lowering his gaze in shame.

"Sure you do." He raised it back up at Beranise. "That little Angel you got. She's the smallest of them, but I bet she also has enough power to beat any of the gods."

"Hm. Looks _can_ be deceiving." Vados commented, with the hint of amusement.

"You want to _fight_ Kusu?" Gowasu asked in worry.

"That's not it." Beranise said.

Rumush, hands behind his back, with Kusu next to him, turned from observing his unimpressively practicing fighters, from the training ground's stone terrace, with a none-too-pleased expression, as Gowasu led his guests up to him.

"My Lord..." he addressed him. "Lord..." he quickly glanced at Beranise, remembering not to use any titles. "O-our guest wishes to have an audience with...Kusu." he turned to her and the latter seemed as surprised as Rumush.

"Kusu?" he glanced at her and turned back to Beranise. "I witnessed your demeanor at The Grand Leaders' palace and I warn you not to even think about doing anything untowardly to her."

"Not that she couldn't stop me." Beranise said, folding her arms. "And not that _you_ could stop _me_." she added and Rumush's glare deepened at the antagonism. "And if I did do to you what I did to Champa, she'd probably be the only one who'd actually care." Beranise said and Kusu raised her head at that, while Rumush's expression softened, as Beranise did not appear to be threatening her. "I saw how she reacted when you were erased. She seemed like the only one who gave a damn about their universe." Beranise looked at her. "Maybe it's because she's still young..." Kusu raised a brow at that and Vados gave a little internal chuckle, making Beranise pause to glance at her. "And she just didn't have enough time, yet, to turn into an unfeeling jerk, like the rest of them." Beranise finished and threw a mild side-glare at Vados, raising a brow at her for her odd laughter, before looking back at Kusu. "Anyway...it looks like that's all I'm gonna do here..." Beranise frowned and looked past Kusu and Rumush, towards the training grounds. "I can see your universe won't be fairing much better, if there's another tournament." she criticizingly commented.

"Insulting our fighters is a strange way to build relationships between our universes." Rumush stated, taking some offense as he narrowed his eyes at Beranise.

"You didn't get all that worked up about it, so I probably didn't say anything you didn't already feel yourself." Beranise retorted and Rumush's silent glare deepening told her she was right. "Well, you're gonna have to whip those guys into better shape or turn every planet and rock in your universe over and find some real muscle, who can better compete, if you wanna survive the next time your precious Lord Zenos hold another tournament with whole damn universes at stake." Beranise told him.

"How bashful...for someone who did not even fight for her universe." Rumush replied, holding his head high as he looked down at Beranise's glare, who unfolded her arms and balled her fists. "Instead, you chose to throw a tantrum and made a desperate fool of yourself, owing your continued existence, if not to the mercy, then, to the curiosity of his Lordships, in the end."

"That was _their_ mistake!" Beranise said. "Not fighting with my universe was _mine_." She took a step forward, looking up at Rumush. "But they still saw how strong I could be and wanted me to become even stronger." She stepped back. "So, I got a pass, even after the other universes were already wiped out." she folded arms, again. "I earned my…_existence_." she emphasized the word. "Not that I needed to. Least of all from _them_. And it's not that I did it for their favor, either." she continued. "They'll get to see me get stronger, like they want and I'm gonna make sure they'll never wipe out another universe, just because their fighters aren't strong enough to put on a show for them." Rumush's stern expression softened at that, as he understood Beranise's reasons for violently opposing the Zenos and the Angels were simply from a desperate need to protect the weak, who could not fight to survive, who would have been erased, without any trace of their existence, never even knowing why.

"That is...actually noble." Gowasu said. "Except for the part about threatening the Grand Leaders themselves, of course." he added, critically.

"I'm just keeping my word to them." Beranise turned to leave and looked at Kusu. "And to you Angels." she added. "But, I might just spare _you_..." Kusu subtly narrowed her eyes. "Since you're just a kid..." Beranise faced away. "And unlike the rest, you look like you still have a heart." she told her and nodded at Vados to transport them, catching her clearly amused smile as she looked from Kusu to her. "What're _you_ keep smiling about?" she asked, annoyed with her.

"Oh, only that despite having already mistaken my father for a younger brother, you still assumed Kusu, here, is the _youngest_ of us, simply because of her appearance." Vados replied, emphasizing the word and implied the opposite was actually the case. Beranise's eyes went wide as she stared dumbly at Vados, with her mouth slightly agape, then, at Kusu, but before she could say anything, Vados tapped the ground with her staff. "Goodbye!" And they vanished in the light. Even Gowasu and Rumush stared at and slowly turned towards Kusu, who merely moved her eyes to look at them with her usual child-like innocence, despite it having been revealed that she was, indeed, the oldest among her siblings.

...

The light beamed down in front of the lavishly designed and decorated palace of the 2nd Universe's beautiful destroyer, who was lounging under a tent, on a large stuffed pillow that was on top of a golden carpet, surrounded by flower petals. With her Attendant at her side, she was being fanned by male and female servants, alike, all wearing her colors, as others served plates of grapes and wine, while their goddess spectated her strongest fighters below her, in the vast ring, who were putting on a performance with their choreographed training. Ribrianne was doing ballet between blasts from her opponents, avoiding them and immediately returning the attack, with heart-shaped beams that the others hastily, but gracefully dodged, paying attention to keep a proper pose, afterwards, which was to please Heles, who clapped at their fight.

"Bravo! Beautifully done! Continue!" she exclaimed and her wish was their command. Her Supreme Kai, Pell, came rushing up, behind her and knelt, appearing nervous, which she immediately noticed as she turned to look at him.

"Lord Heles, we...we have...unexpected guests." he stammered, as if he was scared, to which she arced a delicate brow and looked up, behind him, to see who was entering through the archways that led to her own training grounds. She saw Vados, keeping to the back of the new female Destroyer, who had assumed Champa's place.

"Ohh...it's that woman." she whispered to herself. "Hmm..." she leaned back. "You know, I've been having some trouble deciding whether I find her attractive or not." Pell turned to her, in surprise, while the angel, Sour, subtly raised a brow, as Heles put a hand under her pursed lips. "So formidable and yet...unrefined." she said as all of the guards that stood along the path, as well as the servants, were visible unnerved by Beranise's mere presence. "Like a rough diamond that still has the dirt from the ground on itself."

"M-maybe you shouldn't say that to her." Pell worriedly suggested.

"Oh, something tells me she wouldn't mind." Heles replied and remained seated, in a leisurely fashion, seemingly unbothered by her visit, as Beranise and Vados had a few more steps, before they stopped, a couple of fairly long paces away from her open tent, where two pikes were crossed in front of them. Heles raised a hand and they were uncrossed, as she signaled for her guards to stand aside and they looked eager to do so, considering what they probably heard about the last time someone tried to block the path of the new Destroyer.

"The one who dethroned that lazy oaf." Heles acknowledged Beranise by her accomplishment.

"Greetings, Lord Heles!" Vados bowed, as Beranise merely put her hands on her hips and although Destroyers did not bow for one another, Heles practically demanded worship from all, including her peers and she gave Beranise a slight glare, scrutinizing her face for any signs of weakness, but found she was as composed as she herself, even more so, the latter somewhat begrudgingly had to admit.

"So, tell me...why does the usurper of Champa's throne seek an audience with me?" Heles raised her head high to regard her with an obvious sense of superiority. Vados' eyes moved onto Beranise.

"I had a rough year of training." Beranise stated, to which Heles and Vados raised a brow, as they were unaware of the short year Beranise spent in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, prior to her return to the 6th Universe. "It's coming along good enough, now. But, if I'm gonna take things further, I'm gonna need a stronger partner." Heles raised a brow.

"I was wondering why we came here second to last." Vados mused, glancing at Beranise.

"Why come to _me_ with such presumptuous trifles?" Heles asked. "Surely any of the others can help your training..._adequately_ enough.'" She dismissively gave her fellow gods as much faith in their abilities as she deemed they deserved and no more.

"Let's just say I needed a woman's touch." Heles' eyes widened at that, as Beranise started walking up to her and as she set foot on the wide steps leading up to her, she burst into her Super Saiyan 4 form, to almost everyone's utter bewilderment at her boldness and Heles sat up in alarm.

"You can't just approach me like that!" she warningly told her. "How dare-...!" Her gasp was caught in her throat as she dodged backwards and gritted her teeth, the bracelets on her forearms taking the blow from the fist Beranise was still driving in, as she pushed her out, onto the training grounds, where the warriors from the tournament all scattered to the side, in shock and any words of protest they might have had, they immediately swallowed when they saw who it was that attacked their goddess. None of them dared to speak to another Destroyer with irreverence, no matter the kind of person they thought they were. Beranise stopped and Heles flipped backwards to land on her feet, in the middle of the large ring, frowning at her, as all others vacated the area. "You have some nerve, raising your hand to a goddess like that!" Heles yelled at her and Beranise kept her fists balled, preparing to attack.

"Now you just sound like Champa!" she told her, which predictably annoyed her even more.

"You dare compare me to that disgusting...-!" Heles could not finish, again, as she took to the air to avoid a lunge and Beranise went straight up, after her. "Tch." Heles scowled at her, a moment before Beranise flashed next to her with a reverse side-kick that swept above her as she ducked under it, then, had to dodge several more kicks, in a vicious dance of feet, from slightly above her, as Beranise was forcing her down. Heles gracefully flipped upwards, twisting around the next kick and while still upside down, struck Beranise in the face with the back of her fist, stopping her assault. Beranise touched the spot, as a small trickle of blood came from her mouth, somewhat to her surprise. Heles placed the hand she hit her with, the farthest from Beranise, on her hip, confidently, as she stood with her undefended side to her. "Don't believe for even a second I'll be as easily handled as Champa!" she said, but Beranise did not seem to be unpleasantly surprised nor disappointed with her.

"I didn't." she stated, as she did not start the fight underestimating her and Heles made a face at her badly-timed and oddly ill-mannered show of respect, before Beranise moved in for an attack.

All the servants and guards, plus the warriors, stared with abated breaths as they had the rare privilege to see their goddess fight. She continued to gracefully flow away from Beranise's attacks, not as if she was using Ultra Instinct, but with the same seemingly untouchable speed, only meeting blows to block them with either her hand or feet as she spun every way, circling Beranise from every angle. However, after several minutes, she found that while her opponent did not have her natural grace, she matched her in everything else and she was unable to land anymore hits on her. Not any hits that were not returned, much to her offense, as Beranise immediately back-handed her with a fist across her face, after getting another in her own from her. Everyone gaped and gasped and Heles gritted her teeth, growling. She suddenly had a devious smile.

"Hmph. You said you needed my touch?" Heles coyly recalled. "How ironic..." she said and summoned her bow into her left-hand. "That I won't even have to touch you to defeat you." Beranise narrowed her eyes at the weapon, then, up at Heles, as she trained a shining arrow, from thin air, at her. "Nor will I allow you to lay another hand on me!" she exclaimed and unleashed an arrow Beranise barely side-stepped, only to find Heles gone, as she turned back to face her. She had increased her speed and began flickering around her, shooting arrows, a few of which impaled the concrete, showing their piercing strength and Beranise thought they would not be much of a threat, as long as she could dodge them. But, as Heles kept her distance, the next arrows she shot, bent and reversed direction, mid-air, but she did not escape from Beranise, allowing her to close-in and only disappeared the exact second Beranise tried to punch her and an arrow, from the back, caught her in the shoulder, making her cry out in pain. Upon turning to follow Heles' movements, she saw more arrows splitting the air her way and on a hunch, she moved not towards Heles, anymore, but to the side, only for her suspicions to be immediately proven right, when the arrows changed directions, some snapping at an angle, closing in faster, some slightly more slowly curving their way towards her, as if trying to deliberately throw her off from timing her dodges well.

"You'll never escape!" Heles mocking told her, as her bow glowed, along with her, in a heavenly light. She unleashed an entire hail of golden arrows that gleamed as they formed a large, inescapable sphere around Beranise, cutting into her, as she could barely dodge them and she knew she had but a second before she would be turned into a pincushion. Heles cunningly smirked, lowering her bow, to enjoy the final moments before the inevitable victory she expected to have, but Beranise suddenly stopped moving and closed her eyes. Her hair rose to stand up in thicker bangs and Heles blinked in surprise as Beranise was seemingly staying perfectly still, inside her onslaught of guided arrows. After a few seconds, as everyone, except Vados and Sour, raked their brains trying to figure out what was going on, Beranise started to flicker in and out, more and more. She began to flash left and right, up and down, back and forth, making Heles and the others finally realize she was dodging all of her arrows. "Impossible!" Heles whispered, as Beranise effortlessly moved between them. "How is she-..." she started asking, when Beranise opened her silver eyes, throwing a frighteningly piercing glance at her that shook Heles to her core, making her understand what she was doing. Heles growled in annoyance as beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, from nervousness.

Beranise began chopping the arrows in half, one by one, to Heles' shock, making them evaporate, slowly thinning their seemingly infinite numbers, until she was down to the very last one. She caught it in her hand and snapped it like a twig, then, directed her cool gaze at a visibly shaken Heles, who did not even have time to make the mistake of blinking, as Beranise appeared at her side, with her right knee already in her abdomen, painfully launching her back. To her credit, she stopped herself, before she was out of bounds, even though they did not set any rules. She winced from the pain as she lifted her gaze, just as Beranise moved to attack, again. She struggled to even anticipate her movements and even more with defending against her attacks and had no chance to counter any of it. After a minute of quickly wearing her down, Beranise kicked her in the stomach, pushing her away, again. Heles glared up at her, panting, a lot more wounded in her pride than in her body.

"Your turn." Beranise spoke. "Quit making me believe this is all you got and show me how a god really fights!" she told her and Heles was briefly taken aback by her demanding confidence, but she lowered her head, hiding a strange smile. She began laughing to herself, harder and louder, her shoulders shaking with it, then, she raised her head, revealing an almost crazed, exhilarated smirk.

"Oh, I haven't felt this alive, in a long time! The rush! Even the pain! It truly is an undeniable ecstasy! How beautiful!" she raised and spread her hands, laughing more, with joy and set her wild gaze at Beranise. "_You_ definitely peaked my interest!" she exclaimed and her irises turned pure white, as did the energy surrounding her. Beranise remembered the conversations the Supreme Kais had that she overheard as she rewatched the Tournament of Power. The state was difficult to master, even for gods, but since she already made even more significant headway with using it than the immortal beings who had eons to do so, she had not found herself at a disadvantage, as they continued the fight. Sour noticed that Vados seemed unaware of Beranise's level of mastery.

"You look surprised, sister." he commented and she glanced at him. "Were you not keeping a close eye on her progress?" Vados hid whatever it was that he had seen on her face and turned back to the escalating fight.

"Since the past week, she started excluding me from her training, in order to keep me in the dark." Vados replied, with the usual hint of a smile and amusement over the act. Sour had the same look as he turned back to the fight.

"Well, it is not like we expect anything significant, certainly nothing that could surprise us, after what happened at the tournament." he stated, almost matching her self-assured tone and gave a side-glance to Vados, who gave him one of her own, sensing some teasing from him to which she gave a very subtle glare, before turning back to the action, once more.

Neither Heles nor Beranise flinched, their faces showing nothing but an absolute, undivided focus on each other, their unblinking eyes darting as fast as they themselves were. Again, Heles found her skills being matched, as Beranise's control over her only recently honed imperfect Ultra Instinct was as good as her own. Even better. After minutes, she finally had surprise briefly wash over her face, when Beranise's response was slowly but steadily growing past hers, as she was becoming unmistakably faster and the force of her strikes sharper with every hit she was starting to get in on her.

_"No! This is impossible!"_ Heles could feel herself slipping. _"I cannot keep using this state for much longer. __**How**__ is she still holding it, when _**I**_ am at my limit!?"_ Her eyes widened at her own involuntary admission, in the dire moment and it made her realize she would soon be bested, as Beranise kept gaining on her. _"No, I cannot lose, here!"_ she kept trying to tell herself, but in the next moment, her irises were already back to their original color and all thoughts of defeat, shame, anger and excitement came flooding into her mind. Like someone laid bare in front of a whole world to see, her eyes wavered, reflecting her attacker and also the admiration Heles could barely admit feeling towards the other woman, in that moment. She was more than impressed, even humbled, as Beranise stopped in front of her and Heles dared not to even move in her gaze, as Beranise floated closer to her, the very air heated around them and not from Beranise' form. She slowly reached out, placing a hand on Heles' shoulder, as the latter kept staring into her eyes, only to feel a brief rush of air, as they moved. Beranise was still in her imperfect Ultra Instinct state, barely showing any signs of exhaustion and pushed Heles back, who was surprised when she landed softly on her large stuffed pillow, as they were back under the tent. She glanced around, then, stared back up at Beranise, with uncertainty and even some fear, as her face betrayed no obvious intent.

"W-what are you doing?" Heles stammered.

"I'm done with _business_, for today." Beranise stated. "And I heard what the 2nd Universe is all about." she said, with an unchanging expression and Heles' eyes became saucers, as she understood her suggestive meaning. Beranise turned to Sour. "You and everyone else…beat it." she muttered to him, with a subtle glare and he was made speechless by the order and gave Heles an uncertain glance, clearly having reservations about leaving her alone with her, but, then, he silently bowed, turned and left, as the servants and guards scurried away, as well.

"L-Lord Heles..." Brienne whispered, but the others hurriedly grabbed her to drag her away. Vados turned to leave, as well.

"Not you, Vados!" Beranise's raised voice made her stop and turn back, with surprise. "You're gonna stay _right there_." Beranise merely stated, with an even tone and it truly got under Vados' skin, for the first time.

"You cannot be serious!" she glaringly told Beranise, obviously against _that_ particular order and its implications, but as her eyes followed her as she joined Heles on the bed, they went wide and she turned her face away, flinching from embarrassment, as she heard a moan from Heles and some pinkish color rushed to her blue cheeks. She turned further out and her back to them, clearly bothered and unable or perhaps unwilling to look, while the two consummated their fight. Above them, the sun slowly moved along the sky, eventually descending and disappearing, letting the night and the moon take over.

...

The fool moon was also shining its light on the mansion Gohan and his family lived in. The man of the house suddenly opened his eyes, alert and sat up in bed, sensing a familiar energy. He turned, putting his feet on the ground and pulled out of bed. Videl sleepily woke and lifted her head.

"Gohan...? What's wrong?" she murmured.

They both stopped outside of Pan's room and slowly moved to stand in the doorway, from where they saw Beranise, in the pale moonlight, leaning down with a hand on the side of the crib, caressing Pan's cheek with the other, as she soundlessly slept. Vados stood a few paces from her, acknowledging Gohan and Videl with a glance and Beranise straightened up to look at them, as well, then, quietly pulled back from Pan's crib to leave the room. The light went on in Gohan's study and the latter turned from the switch towards Beranise and Vados, in the middle, with Videl standing near him. Gohan finally spoke.

"I'd ask where you've been, but...if I had to guess, you were training. Right?" he asked with a small, hopeful smile that had worry behind it, as well.

"What else." Beranise rhetorically asked, folding her arms. "I haven't been out _destroying_." she pointed out. "I told you I won't fall in line."

"Yeah. I know." Gohan recalled and glanced at a worried Videl. "And you said you would visit, too."

"Beranise...Gohan told me everything." Videl said and Beranise turned to her. "About what the tournament was really about and...what you tried to do." Beranise averted her eyes, not saying anything. "You could've died." Videl told her, without any anger, only worry, in her voice.

"Let's not even think about that, anymore." Gohan suggested. "What matters is that you still came back. And it means a lot. Especially to Pan." he added with a smile. "But, your _timing_ really needs work. And I'm not talking about it being night. Whatever you've been up today, you missed some serious action, again." he noted and Beranise raised a brow, then, narrowed her eyes.

…

She was on her way back to the 6th Universe with Vados' staff showing the events Gohan had told her about and she watched the projection.

"Long story short…" Gohan's voice echoed, from a few minutes ago. "Frieza came to Earth earlier today...with two Saiyans his men found." Beranise saw Paragus and Broly. "A father and his son. Dad and Vegeta couldn't tell exactly what happened, but the father died, during the fight and only the son survived. And he fought dad and Vegeta to the point where they had to _fuse_ to beat him, because Super Saiyan Blue was nowhere near enough for this guy!" She watched Goku as he was mercilessly and helplessly smashed into the icy crust. "The guy's power was unbelievable and he couldn't even control it himself." Beranise saw the berserk beast Broly turned into and how he was still outclassed by Goku and Vegeta's fusion. "In the end, someone used the Dragon Balls and wished him back to the planet, they found him on, to save him. After that, dad used his Instant Transmission to pay him them with a visit. Turns out, he's actually not a bad guy. He was just brought up without knowing anything else but fighting." Beranise saw Paragus' method for keeping his own son leashed. "Frieza thought he could turn him on us, but even he couldn't handle him." She saw Frieza fighting Broly with all he had, to no avail. "Dad said he could even be a friend, some day." Gohan's story replayed in her mind, as the images went by and ended. Beranise looked up, ahead of her.

"I am guessing you already have plans for tomorrow." Vados glanced behind her at Beranise.

...

On planet Vampa, Lemo was preparing his small ship for departure, under the draining sun, packing some things for the road, while Cheelai sat on a supply crate, from where she intently watched Broly as he was hauling two large insects away, one with each hand. He stopped and looked up, along with Cheelai and Lemo, as a bright pillar of light shot down, towards them, stopping in the air. Beranise and Vados appeared and Broly dropped the insects as his eyes locked onto the tail swinging behind the strangely dressed woman, who was looking down at him with her arms folded. Cheelai and Lemo's shock turned to instant fear, as they also recognized she was a Saiyan.

"So..." Beranise spoke. "You're Broly."

_After a quick tour of the other universes and defeating Heles, Beranise immediately tracked down the new survivor from their race. Drawn to kin, like a moth to a flame, to forge itself in the fire, she was looking to test Broly's power for herself. With even more control over her imperfect Ultra Instinct, she was likely planning on pushing Broly as far as Goku and Vegeta did. But, with two bystanders and on such a small planet, is it really a good idea? Could Beranise's training be even enough to beat someone, who could only be handled through fusion? See how their meeting goes, on the next Dragon Ball Super!_


	14. Episode 13

**Episode 13 -**

**When Saiyans Meet**

Broly, Cheelai and Lemo followed the unknown Saiyan woman with their eyes, as she floated down and touched the ground, a few paces from her kin, as the latter became guarded, like he had an urge to both defend himself and the others from her and to fight. Cheelai and Lemo were rooted in place, while Broly's own body was slightly shaking, not from fear, but an inexplicable excitement that he had only felt when he fought Goku and Vegeta. His nervousness around another Saiyan, who he was unfamiliar with, made the feeling even deeper.

"Looks like the Saiyan blood in you is already saying more than you." Beranise could feel his tenseness. "So you're the strong, silent type, huh."

"Who...are you?" Broly quietly asked, slightly narrowing his eyes.

"Not very trusting with your kind, are you?" Beranise could sense. "Can't blame you. Saiyans weren't exactly good people. But, I guess your father showed you _that_ side. And the two guys you fought showed you another. Well, one of them, anyway." Beranise corrected. "The Prince is too uptight, but Goku would befriend a _dinosaur_. In fact, I bet he did, somewhere along the line." she muttered. Broly raised his head some at the mention of Goku, remembering he was the one who tracked him down, wanting to be a friend.

"W-what do you want from him!?" Cheelai spoke up and they turned to see her glaring at Beranise, with her still shaking hand slowly twitching towards her blaster.

"Relax...I'm just here to prod him some." Beranise said, turning back to Broly.

"And whaddoyou mean by that, huh!?" Cheelai quickly mustered the nerve she could not readily found, when Beranise first appeared, to demand to know. "You're here to fight him, too? Well, he doesn't like fighting!" she swiped with her hand. "He's not like the rest of you Saiyans! That's what his father wanted him to be!" she pulled her gun out of holster. "And I won't let you turn him into what he wanted!" she aimed at Beranise.

"She's a feisty little thing." Beranise said, with a side-glance, arms still folded, not fazed by her threat, at all and moved her eyes back to Broly. "It's not that I didn't have enough good fights, in the past few weeks, but after hearing how much trouble you gave the others, I thought I might coax a little more out of you." she said.

"I knew it!" Cheelai exclaimed, keeping her aim firmly on Beranise, who gave half an eye-roll.

"It's okay!" Broly raised his hand, to Cheelai's surprise. "She won't hurt me." Broly said.

"Well, I kinda will." Beranise pointed out. "Unless, you're as good as I heard." she added and Cheelai was not exactly relaxed by her words, but after some hesitation and a reassuring nod from Broly, she lowered her weapon.

"Hey! Don't you try anything funny with him!" Cheelai warned, dripping venom.

"Oh, boy...she's clingy." Beranise muttered, rolling her eyes up and brought them back down to lock them on Broly. "So..." she unfolded her arms. "Let's see what you can do!" Beranise drifted backwards, to a longer distance and placed her left foot forward, with her hands slightly raised and unclenched, taking a half-relaxed stance.

"We should go somewhere far away." Broly said and Beranise lifted her head. "It won't be safe for Cheelai and Lemo, if we're so close." She straightened up, realizing that herself.

"Well...it's not exactly a big planet." she noted and lifted into the air with Broly, then, flashed forward, barely leaving him enough time to block the surprise thrusting punch with his forearms crossed in front of himself. He gritted his teeth, as Beranise pushed him farther out with the attack, driving in more punches that Broly instinctively, yet still hastily, guarded against, meeting her fists with a single forearm, after the first. Cheelai growled in annoyance and ran after them, attempting to follow.

"Hey, wait...!" Lemo called after her. "You're gonna run halfway around the planet after them!?" he yelled, but she either did not hear or care to stop. "Guess so..." Lemo muttered, ran inside their partially loaded ship and fired up the engine. Vados peered through a projection of her staff that almost acted like a telescope, to see their fight.

The insect-like inhabitants of the planetoid skittered under the rocks they crawled out of, as shockwaves thundered across the sky above. Beranise tried to block a side-kick, but her forearm got rammed into the side of her own head and she was sent spinning away, before she stopped herself, facing Broly. She held her sore forearm and lightly massaged it.

"You start out pretty average, but a few hits in and you catch up to whoever you're fighting. And you don't stop there." Beranise told him. "You remind me of someone." Broly had no idea who she was referring to, but was likely intrigued if it could have been another Saiyan. Someone who also improved as fast as he did, while fighting. "This should look familiar." Beranise stated, flexed her body and with an erupting pillar of golden light, turned Super Saiyan. Broly, of course, remembered the form and how overwhelming it was, in the beginning. Cheelai stopped in her tracks, panting, as she saw the glow from afar.

"Oh, no..." she muttered. "Not _that_ thing!" she cursed, then, hearing a ship approach, turned to see Lemo coming in. He slowed to a stop over her head and hovered close to the ground, opening the door of the cramped cargo bay. Cheelai took a running jump and grabbed onto a handle, as she was inside. "Go!" she exclaimed and they were on their way.

Broly was already on par with and his attacks were slowly overpowering Beranise, who knew what to expect from him, from the start, as she felt herself being beaten backwards, again. She retreated from another attack and with another flexing of her whole body, turned Super Saiyan 2. Broly slightly tilted his head at the subtle change in appearance, but he could feel it was far more of a change in power.

"Those guys rushed things too much." Beranise told him. "And being thrown in the deep end _is_ best for a Saiyan. But, we don't want you snapping too soon." Broly did not appreciate the toying much and started powering up, with white energy still flaring around him. He dashed in and the first few of his punches were easily driven to the side, while the ones from Beranise, hit him in his face and stomach, knocking the air and saliva lose. Cheelai and Lemo were closing in on where they were.

"Please, don't lose yourself..." Cheelai worriedly whispered.

Beranise briefly took control of the fight, once again, beating on Broly, noticing it was quickly having less effect. From all the heavy hits, he became more incensed and powered through the rest, suddenly shrugging off all of her attacks, pushing on, even with her fist in his cheek and Beranise was, again, not surprised he was raising his power to match and overtake hers so fast. Lemo sat the ship down, behind a boulder and barely turned off the engine, as Cheelai was already hopping off to run towards them, taking cover behind larger rocks, close enough to be within earshot of their raised voices. She watched Beranise being blown backwards by a vicious right-hook, the shockwave of which reverberated from the rocky surface. Beranise lowered her forearms she partially blocked it with, exhaling, as she looked at Broly, whose eyes were a beastly yellow and his aura a deep green. Beranise found herself smiling.

"I like your eyes!" she told Broly, who was not much for complements and probably for words, either, at that point. Cheelai frowned, as she overheard. "And I never say that to any _man_!" Beranise added, floating just slightly closer to Broly and Cheelai raised a brow, in confusion at her words. "Looks like I'll have to skip a level, if you're gonna be _this_ difficult." she said and Broly silently regarded her with an oddly patient, yet predatory glint in his wild eyes, obviously still capable of understanding her, as if he was waiting for her to become stronger, so they could fight more. Beranise did as expected and with a roar that turned deeper, her voice rougher, she took it up to Super Saiyan 4, which left Cheelai and Lemo staring and even Broly's mouth was slightly agape at its furry, feral appearance, as it was obviously new to him.

"Let me guess..." Beranise started. "You were expecting something _blue_." she muttered and attacked. Her brute strength and speed were as much above Broly's, as with any of her previous transformations, but they both knew he had a lot more power, even as he struggled to hold Beranise back. Cheelai and Lemo were hiding behind the same boulder that was already broken, barely covering them.

"Is it too late to get back to the ship and off this planet!?" Lemo shouted over the quaking they felt both in the ground and the sky.

"We'll be lucky if it stays in one piece!" Cheelai replied.

"You mean our ship _and_ the planet!" Lemo did not have to exaggerate.

"He won't stand up to this, for much longer!" Cheelai watched Broly bear the brunt of the brutal battering Beranise was giving him. "He's going to lose it, again! They have to stop!" Beranise caught Broly in the chin with an uppercut that did not send him flying and her eyes narrowed, as Broly's spasming head slowly lowered, pushing her fist back down with his chin and he glowered at her through pupil-less eyes. His hair started to stand on its ends as a green aura surrounded him. "Enough!" His white eyes widened and the energy that Beranise felt swelling began to ebb. "Broly, please stop!" Cheelai pleaded with him and his normal black eyes started showing from the mindless whiteness they nearly vanished into. Beranise pulled her fist back, as Broly's thick, violent aura died down and disappeared, leaving only the meek, awkward boy, panting from the exertion, but he caught his breath quickly enough.

"I don't want to lose...control. I don't want to hurt Cheelai and Lemo...or you." he calmly, but tiredly said, afraid of his own strength.

"Well, aren't you considerate?" Beranise put her hands on her hips and reverted to normal. "They would've been protected, anyway." she referred to Vados, unbeknownst to him. "And as for you hurting _me_...I have more up my sleeve than this or whatever Goku and the Prince could give you on their own." She let her hands down. "But, I had my feel of you." she added with a slight smile, just loud enough and it predictably made Cheelai angry.

"Hrrgh, shut up with that kind of talk, already!" Cheelai yelled at her, balling her fists and Lemo tried to calm her, defensively raising his hands, sweating bullets as she carefully approached her.

"Uh..._maybe _she's not the kind of person you oughta get jealous with." he told her and she reddened in her cheeks, in shock.

"W-what!? W-who said...!? I-I'm not jealous!" Cheelai exploded.

"_Overprotective_, then." Lemo calmingly suggested, like he was negotiating, to make the situation sound less embarrassing for her, as long as it cooled her off and Beranise followed Broly's eyes to see Vados floated down behind her, likely ready to depart. She looked back at Broly.

"Well, this has been a nice little work out, if nothing else." Beranise said. "You still got a lot of power in you. You just need to learn how to rein in it." she glanced at Cheelai. "She's a good start." Broly raised his brows, looking at Cheelai. "Something to think about to keep yourself in check." Beranise suggested and looked back at him. "But, you gotta learn to control it all, without her, too." Cheelai listened, her expression softening. "She won't always be there. And she shouldn't be, when things get rough." Broly looked uncertain. "I already met a Saiyan like you." He looked surprised, but his suspicions were proven true. "And if _they_ could do it, then, so can you." Beranise told him and Broly felt some relief in her experienced words. She halfway turned to Vados, not completely looking at her. "We're leaving." she told her.

"Already?" Vados somewhat teasingly asked her. "You did not even have to use what is _up your sleeve_." Beranise's brows briefly twitched into a glare, as Vados had been eavesdropping, before she turned away from her.

"Shut up and let's go." Beranise muttered and Vados briefly closed her eyes, then, looked at Broly with a smile.

"Goodbye!" she told him and Broly looked over at Beranise, who gave him a nod.

"Later." Beranise said and they beamed away. Broly turned his eyes up at the light, until it disappeared and kept looking towards its direction, then, he lowered his head, looked at his hands, thinking about what he was told and lightly clenched his fists. He saw Cheelai and Lemo coming out from behind their cover and floated down, landing in front of them.

"Are you-…?" Cheelai and Broly started at the same time, then, stared at each other, for their timing.

"Uh..." Broly hesitated, so Cheelai spoke up.

"Hey, if what she said is true...then you can learn to control your power!" she excitedly reminded him. "It's not impossible! And she said whoever she knows who's like you already did it, so it might not even take that long." she pointed out, with a warm, encouraging smile and Broly, giving one of his own, nodded in agreement.

...

The waves split apart in the ocean, being blown away by high-winds, as well as by Goku and Vegeta, who were sparring above, with one occasionally driving the other down and they skimmed the surface, launching back up. On the resort, Beerus was left alone, as Bulma and the others were done with their holiday and were back to their work. The staff, having been left with very specific instructions, tended to his needs, without actually knowing just how much danger their existence was in, at any given moment, given his character. Hidden on the top of the nearby cliff, the portal to another dimension glowed with a faint light. Inside Whis was facing Gohan, who was already trying to attack him, after quickly acclimating to the different properties of his new surroundings. His movements had been growing sharper and more precise with every passing minute and Whis had a small smile as he floated away from all of his attempts, while he verbally analyzed his performance.

"Impressive up-take! As your father told you, it took the Prince six months to reach the form they so aptly named Super Saiyan Blue. And he started further back from where you are now." he pointed out to him, as encouragement.

"Yeah. Dad did tell us." Gohan paused to reply. "And _he_ did it even faster...but, then, he was further along, considering he could go Super Saiyan 3 and then he had a feel of Super Saiyan God, too."

"I do recall your father also telling me you have always progressed at a much faster rate than either him or Vegeta, ever since you were a child." Whis stated.

"I did. But, after Old Kai helped me unlock this power, I thought that was it." Gohan said.

"Until recently." Whis understood. "And given your earlier rate of progress, in reaching and then regaining this level of power, it should not take long for you to find out how far you can still go."

"And since this place is like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber..." Gohan indicated, looking around. "I can get a few weeks or even months-worth of training, in as many days!" He clenched a fist. "I don't have to take time away from my family or from work." he reasoned.

"Almost comfortably ideal." Whis agreed. "But, of course, the hard work still has to be done." he emphasized that despite the arrangement's lack of constraints, time-wise, Gohan will have to work harder than ever before.

"I know." Gohan affirmed, flared up and reengaged Whis.

...

A beam of light was shooting through the vastness of space in the 6th Universe, heading towards its unofficial Destroyer's palace. In it, Vados glanced over her shoulder at Beranise, who was holding onto the shaft of her staff with just her tail.

"Planning to do the usual this afternoon?" Vados asked.

"Tell the others to prep for training, then go down and find Fuwa." Beranise said.

"Oh?" Vados subtly raised a brow. "And what should I tell the Supreme Kai that you need from him?"

...

The Seven, Caulifla and Kale were gathered on the balcony. Caulifla had her hands on her hips, impatiently waiting, as usual, when Beranise came outside.

"And where've _you_ been?" she immediately got annoyed with her.

"Missed me, huh?" Beranise mockingly asked.

"Pff." Caulifla frowned at her.

"Well, I hope you enjoyed your day-off, then." Beranise said.

"We weren't doing nothing, you know, just because you weren't here to boss us around!" Caulifla folded her arms. "We trained all day."

"So you learned how to behave, while I was away. Good girl." Beranise did not miss a beat to piss her off and Caulifla took the bait, internally growling at her, making fists. "Don't worry…you'll get to beat on me, soon enough." Beranise told her, folding her arms and Caulifla's glare was replaced by confusion. Vados arrived above and all looked up as she descended, then, walked up to Beranise.

"You got 'em?" Beranise unfolded her arms.

"Of course." Vados stated. "He said to be careful with them." she added

"Kais can just materialize this stuff, like a damn printer. What does he care?" Beranise grumbled and extended her hand. Vados brought the hand that was behind her back forward and placed a pair of Potara earrings in Beranise's palm. Caulifla and Kale remembered them well, especially since they recently watched their own fused selves fight and it made them realize what sort of training Beranise had in mind for them. Vados let her staff float on its own.

"The seven of you will train outside!" Beranise told the others and turned to the pair. "You two..." she tossed them the earrings, which they caught with two hands, as Vados opened the portal. "Get in there!" she nodded at the entrance. Caulifla clenched her fist around the earring, grinning in anticipation. She gave Kale a side-nod towards the portal and they went in.

"This should be a milestone, even after Lord Heles." Vados said and Beranise turned to follow Caulifla and Kale inside. "I wish I could peek!" Vados teasingly complained, pretending she felt left out and Beranise gave her a side-glare as she entered. The portal promptly closed behind her and there she found Kefla floating in the misty energy, with her arms folded and a cocky smile.

"Yo." she greeted Beranise.

"Kefla...you know where you are?" the latter asked.

"Yeah. I remember everything that's happened to Caulifla and Kale, since that Goku guy beat me in that tournament, including what _you_ did to us. I owe you _and_ that guy a beating!" she punched a fist into her palm, smirking.

"You oughta be a lot tougher now, after I beefed those two up. So, why don't we skip the first two or three dances and start from the top!" Beranise told her and Kefla grinned.

"Your funeral!" she said and screamed to power up, turning Super Saiyan, then, electricity shot out and around her, as she turned Super Saiyan 2, standing ready.

"That'll do..." Beranise said and briefly closed her eyes, with her bangs lifting up and she opened silver ones. "For now." she said. Kefla leaned forward, taking a wider stance.

"Hmph." she kept smiling at the form she recognized and hoped she would fight again. This time, with a lot more power. Vados stood near the sealed portal, with her back to it, as the others started training, briefly glancing at it and she had no idea what powers would soon clash inside.

_The introductions between two Saiyans were made, the best way they know. Broly was given some much needed hope the power he feared could be controlled, which reminded Beranise of Kale. Taking the idea of fighting her one giant step further, she made Kale and Caulifla fuse. Now, after having trained both of them, an even stronger Kefla could be born from their combined and multiplied power. And the fusion warrior confidently faced down the very same form that caused her defeat in the tournament. With the dimension sealed shut, Vados and the other Saiyan women had no way of knowing what would happen inside. But, we are going to find out, on the next Dragon Ball Super! _


	15. Episode 14

**Episode 14**

**Dimensions of Power**

Streaks the color of pale flesh, flashes of shockwaves from their contact, silver and greenish-yellow energies criss-crossed as Beranise and Kefla had been ceaselessly attacking each other, with no one to feel or gauge just how much power was being thrown around in just a single swing of their fists or a kick of their legs that were but blurs in the heated air they flailed in, even faster than in the fight Beranise had with Kale. Only days had past, amounting to weeks of training, but the forces that clashed were already leagues above from where they had been. And even though Kefla was considerably stronger than when she fought Goku, her attacks kept hitting Beranise's, who met her fists with her own and stopped her kicks with hers, never missing or even just being late in her response. But, it was not effortless on Beranise's part, either. Although she did not appear to be struggling at all, thinking she was outclassing her would have been a mistake. Goku narrowly beat her and only by out-maneuvering her energy-wave, while both of them were restricted in their movement, as flying was literally disabled for them. Here, they were both unrestrained, by time, by space, in ability and without having to worry for anyone's safety. Beranise was still testing and learning to use her form sparingly, to lessen the strain, same as she did with every other form, while drawing out all the power she needed from it for the moment and Kefla could tell as much, as she tried to break through her constant guard.

"Don't think I'm just gonna be a practice dummy you can take things slowly with!" she told Beranise. "You wanted to skip some dances, but you're the one who's still messing around, trying to draw things out! And you're gonna regret it!" she exclaimed, stopping in her assault. "HAAAA!" And powered up even more, reengaging with redoubled effort.

...

Outside, the Seven were doing laps around the palace, with weights strapped to all of their limbs, struggling to take more than a few steps, as Vados waited on the balcony. Kayen and Perille were a few dozen steps ahead, the twins, Shoga and Nori were trailing after them, while a few paces behind them, a cussing Pinch headed up the rear.

"You know...hngh." Kurogo spoke up. "I'm...hghn...really glad...ggh...were not in there...hghn..." A grunt between every step. "Or that...they're not...hghn...out here."

"In there..." Shoga panted. "Out 'ere...If we'd be...hghh...in the same...hgh...place...we'd already be... sleeping with...the...hghn...the fishes."

"Or...we'd just be...hgh-eh...space dust..." Kurogo agreed. "Along with...the fish." Hauling herself along. In the front, Kayen and Perille were wordlessly trudging on, leaving sweat in and between their heavy footsteps, as they tried not to drag their feet.

...

Kefla was still not getting through and Beranise was seemingly putting more effort in keeping pace with her head-on approach. The former looked to be far away from exhausting herself and she flexed her body, again.

"Haaaaahh!" She flared up and started charging swirling red and green energy in her hands. "Let's see how you handle _this_!" she viciously grinned, but instead of firing it all in a wave, as Beranise saw her do in the tournament, Kefla dashed towards her, using them as arm-blades, like large buzz saws held in each hand that she swung around, extending her reach. Beranise did not flinch, either from surprise or annoyance and concentrated more, the silver energy surrounding her briefly pulsing brighter, indicating she was tapping into more of it to avoid being sliced up by the flurry. She was also able to read Kefla's intent, as she suddenly stopped, mid-swing, to fire the energy, in her left-hand, but Beranise almost unnaturally snaked around the wave, above Kefla, who brought her other hand forth and punched above her, firing the other wave that was instantly blocked by Beranise's fist powering through it to hit Kefla's, painfully batting her hole right-arm backwards, which made Kefla wince. But, as she was already turning inside, she immediately used her left to sling a fast blast into Beranise's face, who used the same hand, with a sideways chop, to cut the green glob in half. Kefla instantly fired one more, as the other split and disintegrated and Beranise's hand was still extended outwards. The latter turned sideways and thrust her left-fist forward, sending a piercing white shockwave through the blast, blowing it apart and hitting Kefla in the forehead, whose head snapped back. She lowered it back down to growl at Beranise, getting frustrated.

"Alright...! Hope for your sake this isn't the best ya got!" Kefla taunted her and leaned forward, bent in her knees, knuckles turning white. "'Cause you're gonna be sorry, real soon! HAAAAAA!" she started screaming her lungs out, her body was enveloped in a greenish yellow light, as her muscles grew and her hair glowed, growing longer to reach her thickened thighs. The dimension's godly energy warped around her, being pressure-cooked by Kefla's own. Even on the outside, the sealed spot of the entrance pulsated as if it was going to burst open, unable to contain what was inside, to Vados' surprise, who gave it a somewhat uncertain, suspicious look, wondering what was going on in there. "AHHHHHHRGH!" Kefla panted like an animal and her echoing two voices became rougher, as she looked at herself, as a Super Saiyan 3. "Ho-ho-oh, yeah! This is frickin' awesome!" she postured, admiring herself and whipping her green mane around, while internally laughing to herself, like an uncaged beast, reveling in its freedom. She looked at Beranise with a wicked grin. "Too bad there aren't any real walls to bang your head against! But, it's how you're gonna feel like in a minute! HAAA!" she lunged at Beranise, in less than a blink of an eye, swinging at her, which the latter met with one of her own. Their fists connected, splintering the wall between dimensions, leaving shards, like glass, floating away, surprising both of them and they stared at the damage they caused. The grin returned to Kefla's face, who was enjoying all of it, while Beranise's went stern, again and every subsequent blow of theirs started to crack the very fabric of space at the point of impact, as they carried on.

…

Vados would needed to have been dead not to notice the disturbance, as she could see the subtle, but creeping, paper-thin tears that she gave a disapproving glare to. Had they not been fighting in that particular dimension, they would have already broken down the dimensional walls, much like Gogeta and Broly did. The only thing that was keeping it all from so easily falling apart was the godly energy of the place. Kayen and Perille halted in their labored tracks as a few tell-tale signs of dimensional destruction appeared in front of them, as well.

"W-what is this...!?" Kayen caught her breath to ask in alarm and looked towards Vados, who made eye-contact with her.

"Hey...!" Kurogo shouted to her, as well. "What the hell...i-is going on!?" she stumbled as she asked. Vados lifted her staff, which glowed and used its power to project her voice to all of them.

"It is nothing to be concerned about. You may continue your training." she announced.

"Why don't I believe that..." Kayen quietly said to herself, which Vados overheard, turning to her with a brow raised, since the amplification worked both ways and Kayen shrunk back, not wanting to openly question a being such as her. She reluctantly continued her lap with Perille and kept glancing around, as more small tears started popping up everywhere. Vados appeared visibly concerned, likely hoping the dimension would remain intact.

...

Beranise was definitely being forced to forget about her reserves, as Kefla's full power proved to be enough to warrant all she could tap into and even then they were evenly matched. Though her level of control over the Ultra Instinct state was more refined than Goku's the first two times he used it, Kefla still kept up with her, which meant her strength easily rivaled someone like Jiren, potentially even at his absolute best. She briefly pulled back, as Beranise let herself drift away from her.

"I would've owned that tournament, like this!" Kefla boasted, flexing. "Could've flattened that Goku and that Jiren guy, too!" she exclaimed, as Beranise silently waited for her to continue, not agreeing or disagreeing and Kefla frowned at her. "Oh, I'm sorry! Are you too busy _concentrating_?" she mockingly asked. "Lemme give ya somethin' to think about, then!" she told her and pulled her hands back, charging swirling red and green energy, again. Beranise waited to see if it would be the same attack as before, but instead of going in for a melee with it, Kefla put her hands together, throwing them forward and unleashed a hail of smaller, spinning, jagged discs, in a Buzz Saw Barrage. Beranise started dodging, but after narrowly avoiding the first dozen, a few cut her below the shoulders and on her thighs. Her aura pulsed, once more, as if responding to her need, adapting to her worsening situation. Her evasions became faster, but Kefla growled with a grin and poured more into her own attack, firing even faster to match Beranise, before she could gain the advantage. It was enough to keep her on the move, but none of it was hitting her, so Kefla fired a few more, then, charged up, encasing herself in the same red and green spinning energy, becoming a cackling Buzz Saw Comet. Despite the almost preternatural senses the state was giving Beranise, there was not much she could do but keep her distance from the cutting wheel of destruction Kefla turned herself into. She kept getting out of her way, while instinctively formulating a method to counter her attack.

Kefla kept changing directions to chase after her, emboldened by having the upper-hand, as she could not be touched without serious damage. She was getting closer with every dash, until she was finally within an arm's reach of Beranise, the energy already sawing into her, when she faded, as it was merely an after-image. It took Kefla a long second and more to figure out what happened and when she found Beranise with her eyes, the latter was diagonally coming down on her, spinning sideways, like a propeller, in the opposite direction of Kefla's energy, who went straight at her. They collided, the teeth of Kefla's energy-saw and Beranise's upper-cut from her spin crashing into each other, nullifying both of their attacks, blowing away Kefla's buzz-saw, from around her and halting Beranise's own momentum. Kefla's shock turned to a snarl at Beranise's focused, unperturbed expression. Even though they were equally strong, another thing Beranise had on her side, besides Ultra Instinct, was experience and coupled with her unburdened senses, it gave her all the knowledge to cancel-out Kefla's seemingly unstoppable rush, without the actual mental effort of strategizing negatively affecting the signals being sent around her body. Much to Kefla's credit, she was able to keep up with it all, using nothing but her raw power, without being anywhere close to having the mental and physical control that was needed for the form Beranise was using against her.

"Daaamn you!" Kefla bared her teeth, pulling back. "You're pissing me off!" she exclaimed, but Beranise remained non-talkative and glowered at her, a sign that the feat she pulled off might not have been as easy as it looked to Kefla, who roared, building up all the energy she could and it shifted the air around them, a number of times, into darker, more ominous shades of green, reminiscent of what Kale and Broly did. Suddenly, it took on a red hue, deepening with every pulse, before it exploded out of Kefla, in a long scream, as a massive, horizontally swirling cloud of orbs, all around her. The red ones were rushing around clockwise, the green ones in the opposite direction, trailing clouds of the same color after themselves, like newly born, bright hot stars of two spiral-galaxies merging that impossibly spun both ways, turning into a spectacular Galactic Storm. It left no openings for Beranise, who could not get any closer to Kefla, even with all her massively enhanced reflexes, as it was just enough to allow her to avoid being hit. Not even a quarter of a minute into not hitting anything with her attack, Kefla took a breath in her battle cry and with the next roar, she threw the entire mass of energy into disarray, making all the blasts curve in on her, tilting an invisible axis to move diagonally, as if gravity itself was out of whack that also stretched or shortened the time it took for the revolutions, out of the thousands, the blasts were making. Beranise took a few hits in the chest, back and shoulders, before her mind and body started adjusting on its own, yet again and she quickly compensated, reacting better to the shift.

...

More cuts rapidly appeared all around the palace, with a faint, eerie, purple glow, suggesting the dimension had a limit of just how much energy it could safely contain and that it was reaching it, to Vados' genuine annoyance. The Seven all stopped to look around them, in worry. They could barely lift their weighed down hands, from all the fatigue, to try and tentatively reach towards the thin tears in the air, but pulled back, afraid of what could happen. Down on the Kai Planet, Fuwa was panicking, pacing around his hammock, with his head in his hands.

"Hhhnnnngghh!" he wailed, tearing at his hair. "Oh, they have to stop! They have to stop!" he kept repeating, whimpering.

...

Back inside the cross-firing hailstorm Beranise was still adapting, looking for a way, as Kefla's lung-capacity seemed to be infinite. Bending backwards and spreading her limbs just enough to let dozens of blasts pass from all directions, she charged a glowing glob of energy in each hand and with a spin that let her avoid dozens of more blasts, she threw them in opposite directions, matching the general pattern of the ones in Kefla's attack. Her two blasts sped towards the center, drawing closer with every round they made, like guided missiles carrying a payload that was meant to disrupt a storm, at its eye, while Beranise kept spinning out of the orbs' way. In the mad cavalcade of red and green, the shining, mercurial twin blasts spiraled all the way in, hitting Kefla from both sides of the head, at the same time, stunning her and making her cry out in shock and pain, as her attack immediately faltered, slowing down enough that Beranise could slip through and slam a fist into her already singed and hurting face, making her attack scatter in all directions. Kefla jerked and was bent backwards, but used the momentum to immediately kick Beranise in the jaw - not unexpectedly, for the latter, given her senses - but fast enough that she could not avoid it and she wincingly gritted her teeth, bleeding from the mouth.

For a moment, they were both drifting away, their bodies horizontal, but Kefla sprung up, in a blink, to hammer down on Beranise, who caught her laced fists between her legs, upside down and spinning backwards, threw her under herself, following with a dive-kick that Kefla caught by the legs and yanked Beranise down in front of her, head-butting her in the face. Kefla swung a right-hook, but Beranise, head still coming up from snapping backwards, automatically swung her left-foot from the side, kicking her fist away, along the same direction. She turned inwards with the momentum to spin-kick Kelfa, with her right foot, in her exposed side, pushing her away. Even as Beranise's form was clearly starting to weaken, her decades of experience over Caulifla and Kale kept her from immediately being at an obvious disadvantage and she could feel Kefla was also burning through the incredible energy her fusion-made body was brimming with, but she immediately came back at her.

From that point on their melee became much like the one Goku and Jiren had, as they drove each other's punches and kicks away, occasionally getting hits in that went to the stomach, sides or face, as they both powered through all of it, using everything their form could give to not let the other have even a fraction of a second more time to react, failing or succeeding as their reserves gradually ebbed, with some lapses in their focus. The fabric of their clothing slowly started tearing off in pieces that floated off and burned away from the heated energy, exposing those areas of their bodies that often made contact in the nonstop spectacle that even the gods would have been awed by.

Outside, the others were not being made to feel any safer by the sporadically appearing cracks, as the existing ones began to expand, while the very air around them vibrated, shaking, along with the ground they started dragging their feet on. Kurogo fell on her knees from exhaustion.

"T-this is insane…" she exclaimed, as others were barely able to continue themselves. "T-they're just training and…" she had to swallow, her throat dry. "And t-they could…d-destroy everything." she panted as her sister fell beside her. "Saiyans like us…o-or not…this isn't normal." she could barely say.

"I…" Shirogo started. "I can't…imagine…how…those other Saiyans train." she said, nearly tapped out. "I just hope…it's not the same…for their planet's sake." she added.

…

Vegeta was catching his breath, both ocean water and sweat running down his face, his eyes narrowed at his rival before him. The chaotic waves smoothed out and the winds stopped around Goku, whose silver glow shone above the deep blue surface. He opened his silver eyes, looked at himself and kept clenching his fists, as if feeling different than any time before.

"What's wrong? You think you've finally did it, on purpose, this time, Kakarot?" Vegeta yelled. "Or should I hit you more? Hmph." he gave half a laugh and even less of a smile.

"It feels different this time." Goku answered, his face stern and his tone serious. "I'm starting to get the hang of it." he added and Vegeta panted more, slightly gritting his teeth, in annoyance.

"Great." he muttered.

Inside the staff's dimension, Gohan was attacking Whis, but he stopped in his attack, raising his head and looking towards the exit with worry and intrigue.

"I can't feel dad, all of a sudden." he stated. "Does that mean…?"

"Hm." Whis nodded. "It seems he truly learned to willingly use that state, without needing to be forced into it by the situation. For how long, though, it remains to be seen." he added.

Back outside, Goku was still looking at himself, but raised his gaze, as Vegeta powered up with a scream, his muscles growing, to his Royal Blue form.

"I won't let the gap get any wider between us!" he swore. "You hear me!" He took his signature stance.

"You're not." Goku stated, agreeing he was not letting it happen and Vegeta, frowning at his words, attacked.

…

A large green and a smaller silver blast met and exploded, canceling each other out, as Beranise and Kelfa both panted, their stamina draining faster with every passing minute by their forms.

"I remember how this Ultra whatever thing works!" Kefla spoke. "You can't keep this up forever!" she pointed out, catching her breath. "But, I'm not gonna just wait! That's just cheap!" she spat. "I'm gonna beat you _before_ you give out!" she declared and madly rushed in, flaring up, again.

Beranise was visibly having some difficulty keeping up her defense, but her counters still managed to outpace Kefla's, getting a few hits in that bruised her body and her ego, fueling her, which in turn, only made her struggle more. A spin to the side, a dive, then, a rapid rise and she was behind Kefla, who could not feel her, but she was betting on it and she screamed, briefly encasing herself within a buzz saw, again, with it spinning upwards and it hit Beranise, like an uppercut, singeing and throwing her backwards. "HAHA!" Kefla cheered at her success, as she turned to immediately move on Beranise, with a left-elbow in her stomach that blew the latter further back and she threw her right hand forward, firing an energy-wave after her. Beranise halted, as the wave reached her and it split apart as she charged through it, with a left-fist into the palm Kefla pulled back and supported with her other hand, to guard against it, snarling. She used her supporting left-hand to quickly grab Beranise's forearm and pulled her onto herself, trying to elbow her, which Beranise barely stopped with her free hand, pushing against it and herself away, as Kefla, having been able to switch hands, attempted to grab her forearm, again, but failed to use the same move twice, at which she growled.

...

"How long have they been at it?" Kurogo asked, still kneeling. "How long have _we've_ been at this!?" she suddenly had to wonder.

"Feels longer than at any other time before." Shirogo. "Almost as long as the tournament."

"That...felt a lot longer than just 48 minutes." Kurogo commented.

Kayen was trying not to fall on her knees, along with Perille and she raised her head, panting, as she looked up at Vados, on the balcony, seeing she was not completely her usual calm self, either.

"She knows...it's bad." Kayen said between two labored breaths.

...

Gohan and Whis exited the staff's dimension to see Goku and Vegeta were jousting each other, having brief scuffles, with a pause between them.

"Well, well...Vegeta is keeping true to his vow." Whis observed. "He is not letting your father become any stronger than him. The fact he is still fighting means he has already made significant progress in keeping up with Goku's own."

"But...there's no way he can hold out for too long, when dad is like _that_." Gohan felt. Vegeta was short of breath, while Goku showed no signs of having the same amount of fatigue, but that could have been due to his intense focus on keeping up the form. It still annoyed Vegeta, even though he could clearly recall Goku was the same way, even against Jiren, with no showing of any tiredness, anywhere along the line. "He's already been using it longer than all the times in the tournament, put together." Gohan stated.

"Indeed." Whis nodded. "And while it only amounts to minutes, even the Destroyers are incapable of using the form for extended periods of time." he noted.

"But, there had to be _some_ who learned to get used to it, like me and dad did with Super Saiyan, until it became like second nature, right?" Gohan asked, looking at Whis, whose silent side-glance and slight smile told Gohan there was never a being who could achieve that and it both awed and surprised him, as he turned to watch his father and Vegeta reach for those heights.

"By not immediately subduing Vegeta, as he could, he is not only learning how to hold onto the form...in turn, he is enabling Vegeta to better adept to it. And as was the case with Super Saiyan God, their bodies will store those sensations and they will eventually and _instinctively_ remember how to tap into it more effectively." Whis pointed out that the prolonged fight was for both of their benefit.

"Pretty sure that only makes Vegeta angrier." Gohan knowingly said.

"Also true." Whis agreed, as they looked on to see it was.

Vegeta understood what Goku was trying to do and even if it benefited him, as well, it mattered not to him. Their rivalry alone was enough to push him to new levels and he reached all of them on his own. He did not need anyone's help, least of all Goku's, to become a Super Saiyan. While Goku was in Other World, he ascended to Super Saiyan 2, after which he got to Blue, all on his own, without needing to absorb the energy of others to get a taste of what a higher level of power felt like, because he would work his way to it, as he was presently doing. Every time Goku dodged his attack, he had to be faster with the next, as they kept improving, while they fought, their bodies adapting to every change that was happening to both of them.

In the case of Beranise and Kefla, the two kept forcing each other to draw on strength beyond their own limit, time and again, just to be able to keep even with each other, taxing their already weary physical forms to extremes, without either of them being able to gain the upper-hand for more than a moment, as Kefla, too, was learning, as she fought and countered Beranise much better, slowly, but steadily and instinctually bridging the experience-gap between them, with every clash. Beranise could tell so, as she showed the mildest signs of vexation on her otherwise unchanging expression.

...

Vegeta was putting all he had into every punch and kick, the fastest he could, while Goku kept intense focus on every move, until a punch managed graze his cheek, to both of their surprise and Goku's eyes briefly fluctuated between silver and normal, but he held on, concentrating more, as Vegeta gritted his teeth.

"Don't you dare run out on me!" he told Goku, as it made him put even more into his attacks and Goku started flinching.

...

Beranise caught Kefla's fist and the latter did the same to her and they got locked into a tug-of-war, pressing against each other, with Kefla gritting her teeth, while Beranise's glowering deepened, a sign of increased effort, until it was briefly replaced by worry, as her own eyes flickered between silver and normal, which made Kefla's sneer turn into a grin and she internally laughed.

"You're done!" she pushed, being able to briefly overpower Beranise and heavily head-butted her, making her cry out and drift back, losing her grip on Kefla's fist and the latter, still having Beranise's fist in her hand, pulled her in for a punch, but Beranise fired a white repelling shockwave from the fist Kefla was pulling on, loosening the latter's hold on her enough to dodge back from her swing and get some distance in. "Hrrrgghh!" Kefla growled in frustration, through a heavy breath and Beranise was finally panting, as well, with fatigue suddenly catching up to her, as her form was faltering.

...

"You should've finished me, while you still could, you fool!" Vegeta berated Goku, as the latter was narrowly avoiding him. "But, you always mess around too much!" he added and there was truth to his words, even if it was hypocritical. His next two punches, he turned into point-blank blasts that both hit, with Goku only having enough time to block the second from doing too much damage. Vegeta was having serious difficulty catching his breath, but only stopped for a second, before he pressed on, as Goku was in no better shape, with his own form finally failing him and the toll on his body, from the longest use he ever had, suddenly having its effect.

"Time to end this, Kakarot! And if you can't, then, too bad!" Vegeta flared up, shakily assuming his signature stance, as did Goku, whose eyes flickered back and forth, again and he gritted his teeth.

...

"I'm not gonna lose!" Kefla jumped back and flared up, as well. "You're going down!" she exclaimed as a wheel of energy surrounded her and Beranise pulled her arms back, charging energy in both hands, the silver of her eyes fading in and out, as she gritted her teeth, shaking on the verge of collapse. "HHAAAA!" Kefla screamed and they charged at each other.

At the same time, Goku and Vegeta shot towards each other, as well, like white and royal blue comets, nearly splitting the ocean in two and everything vanished in a blinding light, as they hit.

...

"HHHRRRAH!" Kefla swung a fist, in addition to the energy sawing everything around her, as Beranise threw her fists forward, firing her own signature Double Lance attack and the cracks on the outside briefly shone white, threatening to burst, to the terror of the others, Fuwa's being the worst, as he screamed, thinking their universe was about to shatter.

...

Above the ocean, the light died down, after which Whis and Gohan spotted Goku and Vegeta were floating on the large waves they created, both in their normal states and seemingly unconscious.

Inside the barely intact, but finally calm staff dimension, Beranise, in her normal state was wincing with her eyes shut from the pain, drifting, while across from her, Caulifla and Kale were coming to, opening their eyes and feeling their aching bodies. Their clothes were intact, as opposed to Beranise's, since the diffusion returned their own clothes to the state they were in before they fused. Their bodies were also visibly unharmed, but they felt the exhaustion, as they slowly got their bearings, glancing around.

"K-kale...?" Caulifla whispered. "What the hell happened? D-did we win?" she oriented herself as she raised her head to see Beranise ahead of them and her eyes widened, along with Kale's. "She...she's out." Caulifla noted, with some surprise and relief and clenched her fists, grinning. "She's K.O.! Yeah!" she cheered. "We did it, Kale! We kicked her ass!" she turned towards her friend, excitedly.

"S-shut up, Flower..." Beranise muttered and they both turned to look at her and her eyes were still shut as she did not even try to move her own damaged body. "You ran...out of power." she mumbled, voice dry. "I ran out...it was a draw." she managed to utter, with difficulty.

"She's...right, my earring is gone." Kale noticed and pointed it out and Caulifla felt her ear for hers, as well, also noticing it must have shattered, much like in their fight against Goku, whose final attack was strong enough to overpower and drain what their fusion had left. But, here, they did not lose, as both their fused self and Beranise ran out. It only annoyed Caulifla, who frowned, somewhat disappointed, as their victory was short-lived.

The ominous light-show faded, all around and the Seven calmed down, along with Fuwa, who slowly opened his eyes to see he was still there, as was everything else and he nearly fainted, falling on his back with a long sigh of relief, letting the stress go with it. Vados raised her staff and opened the portal to the dimension. She moved to enter it, when Caulifla and Kale stumbled out, looking no worse for wear than when they went in. Vados raised a somewhat stern brow at the two, as the Seven weakly floated over to land close by, barely having the energy to fly. A few seconds later, Beranise ambled out with nearly all of her attire torn or burned off, safe for her more private areas, to which Vados raised her brow further, as the Seven stared. She wordlessly passed Vados, who turned after her.

"What happened in there?" she asked, somewhat displeased with their recklessness.

"Asks someone who knows." Beranise muttered, dragging herself on and Vados had the hint of a frown, before she looked at Caulifla and Kale, then, she turned to them.

"Well? Can you tell me what happened?" she asked.

"Uh..." Caulifla exchanged a clueless look with Kale. "We don't remember anything after we fused." she shrugged, not caring much that her answer was non-satisfactory and after that brief revelation Vados slightly narrowed her eyes as she turned toward Beranise, who looked at her from the corner of her eyes, with a sly glint in them, fully aware that they would not be able to tell anything, just as she had planned. Having fought Gotenks, she knew Caulifla and Kale would not remember what went on in the fight. Realizing that, Vados' glare subtly deepened and with the toughest fight she ever had, another day of training was over for Beranise.

_And it's a tie! Unbelievable! Even Vados couldn't keep a straight face as Beranise and Kefla nearly destroyed their entire universe. With their power already surpassing anything in the Tournament they blew past and shattered another milestone, almost along with everything else. Can the staff's pocket dimension even stand up to another training session like that? How will they even continue? Fortunately for Goku and Vegeta, their own training did not nearly rip their own universe apart, as they pulled each other up on the ladder, with neither one of them further from the other than they were before. The already insane levels of power will only get higher, on the next Dragon Ball Super! _


	16. Episode 15

**Episode 15**

**Almost Routine **

Down on the serene planet of the Kais, in the gentle breeze that carried the song of birds, Fuwa sat idly sipping his steaming tea, enjoying the ever rarer quiet, in the shade of a tree, when a sudden small dimensional tear that opened right in front of him made his eyes bulge and he spat the soothing drink, dropping the cup from the shock. On the grounds of the palace above, the Seven were doing their laps, again, with weights strapped to them, as Vados observed their improving performance, as Fuwa appeared next to her, looking alarmed.

"Greetings, Supreme Kai." Vados passively greeted the panicking man, whose eyes kept finding every tear that was already around them.

"P-please, tell me they will stop! This is too much! I cannot take it anymore! If they keep doing this, they're going to destroy everything!" he exclaimed. "And neither of them are even real Destroyers!" he added, pointing out their power. "And she keeps asking for new Potaras, every day, now!" he referred to Beranise. "Ohh, when will this end!?" he moaned.

"This new arrangement really is bad for your health, it seems." Vados remarked. "Worry not, Sir! If you look closely, the tears you see have been appearing less frequently, every time, since the first, while they have been inside for progressively longer, which means both of them are focusing their energies considerably better with every session and as a result, it has become less straining on the dimensional barrier." she placated him some, though not nearly enough, as Fuwa sighed, aging eons on the spot.

"I do not even want to imagine what they could possibly be doing!" he whimpered.

"Hm." Vados glanced at the closed portal, with an almost imperceptible frown at her own lack of insight on the matter.

...

Blurry blazing silhouettes, one green, the other white, zig-zagged and hit each other, creating lightning on contact that shot everywhere around them, as they danced in the glowing energy of the dimension they were wreaking less havoc on with their refined performance. A Super Saiyan 3 Kefla almost expertly and methodically rebuffed Beranise with a perfect guard, whose silver eyes flashed, before she herself did, flickering in and out, multiple times, in a blink of an eye. Kefla swiftly raised her forearms and knees, turning in every direction, parrying the seemingly invisible, almost instantaneous flurry of attacks that came at her, in that very same moment, at the end of which, Beranise came at her with a fist in a straight forward thrust.

...

Gohan's fist hit Whis' palm, who grabbed it and casually threw him up, above him, like a ragdoll, but Gohan quickly stopped his momentum and charged back down, flashing behind Whis, who looked from the corner of his eyes, as he smilingly side-stepped his blind-siding attempt and friendlily shoved him in the back, sending him careening away, as if he had been hit with great force. Gohan had considerably more difficulty stopping himself, as he flexed his body, halting to float in place, only to find Whis gone, as the latter was already behind him. Having a hunch, Gohan instantly turned, but so did Whis, keeping himself behind him, as Gohan kept twisting around, with reverse kicks, and elbow thrusts, hitting nothing.

"You were able to respond much faster this time." Whis gave him some positive reinforcement, as he avoided him, remaining out of his sight and Gohan did not even look surprised when he spoke, as he knew full well where he was. Gohan ceased his attacks and closed his eyes, focusing his senses and energy more, to which Whis subtly raised a slightly curious brow. He somewhat gingerly raised his index index-finger, reaching with it toward the back of Gohan's head, as a single poke would have been enough to incapacitate him. Just as it was about to happen, Gohan whipped around, slapping Whis' finger away, who seemed briefly surprised, but, then smiled. "Very good. And here I was about to end today's session, but it seems you earned some overtime." he complemented Gohan.

"I'm not even going to ask just how much you're holding back." Gohan stated and Whis blinked at his sudden sizing-up. "There's probably no comparison that could help me understand just how strong Angels are."

"Well..." Whis gave it some thought. "I will tell you this...your father's temporary mastery of Ultra Instinct placed him well on his way towards..._our league_." he noted.

"Really..." Gohan whispered, surprised it was that far along on the scale and crossed that much of the gap between them and Whis lightly nodded. It made Gohan take some stock, looking down, at no ground, distant. "'The difference between Lord Beerus' power and ours, when we first met him, was almost the same as the one between me and Cell, back when I first went Super Saiyan 2." The memories came to him. "Even bigger. Dad told me he took him out with one hit to the neck, as a Super Saiyan 3. Then there was Jiren. Dad and Vegeta couldn't do anything to him, with all they had." he recalled their utterly fruitless struggle. "But with that imperfect Ultra Instinct dad could already fight him evenly." he considered the difference. "And the perfected form he had, in the end, was a league above even Jiren's full power." his eyes wavered. "Makes you wonder where someone could end up on that whole scale if they'd find a state _beyond those_." he came back from his musing to see Whis expectantly looking at him and he collected himself. "Right. Sorry!" he said, floated back. "Please, let's continue!" he exclaimed and Whis smiled, standing at the ready, turning his side to him and raising a hand to say they could commence.

...

Down at the resort, Beerus was dozing off on a tanning chair, under an umbrella, eyes closed. They twitched as he felt something. He slowly and groggily opened them to see Bulla smiling in his face, being held by her mother and his eyes went wide, but he kept his scream in, as Bulma pulled her back, lightly laughing.

"Hey, Lord Beerus. You're a regular, I see. The island sure is a better place to relax for the weekend than the city, huh." she said, rocking Bulla in her arms.

"When infants don't give me a heart-attack, yes." he folded his arms, keeping himself from actually yelling. "I suppose it's a nice change in scenery." he pretended to be dismissive. Goku, with Vegeta holding his shoulders, Instant Transmissioned in between them, surprising both, making Beerus jump in his chair, again.

"Oh, hey Lord Beerus!" Goku apologetically greeted him. "Sorry! Couldn't tell _you_ were here, too." he said and turned around with Vegeta.

"Gha-gha!" Bulla tried to gleefully greet her dad.

"But, I could already follow _her_ energy." Goku noted, leaning in with his hands on his hips, in front of Bulla, with a goofy grin, which Bulla reacted to with an almost Vegeta-like glare. "Uh?" Goku blinked, in surprise and carefully backed off, as Vegeta proudly chuckled to himself.

"She takes after her father, already." Beerus commented, looking at Bulla.

"I dunno." Goku scratched his head, thinking out loud. "Vegeta isn't nearly as scary as Bulma can be." he said. "Maybe that mean-face is more her side." he obliviously mused and both Bulma and Bulla were giving him the same glare. "See!" Goku thumbed at them. A sweat-drop appeared on the side of Beerus' forehead as he groaned and Vegeta buried his face in his palm. The seagulls above them squawked over the sound of a hand slapping a head. "Oww! What was that for!?" Goku exclaimed, rubbing his head, as Bulma pulled her hand back.

"It's amazing you haven't said anything stupid to the Omni-Kings, yet." Beerus told him, lying back down. "As tactless as you are, it's a miracle you have managed to not insult them by accident, so far."

"Well, I don't like talking bad about _anybody_, really." Goku shrugged. "Unless it's someone like that Magetta guy." he funnily recalled. "It looked like it was the only way to beat _him_. Right, Vegeta?" he grinned at him.

"Don't even remind me of that scrap-metal." Vegeta folded his arms.

"Because of all of you..." Beerus turned serious. "The other universes are practically incensed. Their fighters will, no doubt, want to settle the score. And all of them will probably be stronger, the next time." he warned.

"Settle the score..." Vegeta mockingly scoffed. "They owe us." he pointed out. "And besides…all of them, except Jiren, were no contest. Even if they get much stronger…hmph…that is _if_ they can..." he derisively laughed. "They still won't be much of a treat. We'll far surpass them by then."

"While your confidence is truly unrivaled, Vegeta, you forget there were already far too many surprises, in this tournament, for my taste." Beerus sat up. "We knew nothing of these universes and if the Grand Zenos make the exempt universes compete, we'll be in the same mess with _them_."

"And what if we are?" Vegeta asked and though Beerus glowered at him, he did not flinch from it, anymore. "We were told how we measured up." he pointed out, his tone unchanging. "Our universe was supposed to be second to last in strength and we won. Their so-called _average mortal level_ means nothing. And the same goes to those exempt universes, too. They have someone like Jiren, who pulls up their average. And whoever they are, they're the only ones we need to worry about."

"So..." Beerus leaned back. "You're not just training simply because you're convinced you Saiyans can get infinitely stronger, but because you're also _worried_. Is that what you're admitting?" Beerus coyly propped himself on his left elbow, prodding at Vegeta's confident facade and the latter returned his earlier glare.

High above them, on the windy top of the resort's mountain and through the staff's portal Whis appeared to be a tad more mobile, but still effortlessly casual, as he kept leaning away from and bowing under Gohan's ever-improving assault. His kick swept across, Whis bowed under it and up came a silver-eyed Beranise.

...

Kefla spun inwards with her right-foot sweep to do another one with her other foot, followed by a blast she slung at Beranise with her right-hand. The latter punched through it, her right-fist being slapped to the side by Kefla's left, who used her inward momentum to turn further in, pulling both feet in and did a spinning sideways mule-kick, into Beranise ribs, who let out a grunt, as she was pushed back.

Outside, around the garden of the palace, the temporary solid surface the Seven were dragging their weighed down bodies on was steadily disappearing behind them, though not equally fast, as it was seemingly timed according to their power and likely a bit above it, for all of them, so their limits were constantly pushed, with every step, just so they would not lag and fall.

Back inside, white flashes sparked between Beranise and Kefla, as they closed in on each other, making several attacks, while looking as though they were only single ones, with every move they made. Beranise's made it through, hitting Kefla in the face and stomach, who weakly blocked the next few nigh invisible ones, before Beranise's foot founds its way into her face, pushing their fight on.

Down on the Kai planet, Fuwa sat on a mat, with a tea-cup in his shaking hand, which he could barely lift to drink from the constant fear, even after Vados assured him the fabric of their universe would remain intact and that the sun would still rise and move across the sky, for all of them. It literally did, reaching high-noon.

...

In their humble home, Goku nearly gobbled up the dishes with the food, while Chi-Chi sighed, as she quietly ate with a well-mannered Goten, having given up on teaching any for her husband. She was glad circumstances have forced him to make time to work for their livelihood, giving their youngest at least a semblance of normalcy, showing how a household was supposed to look like.

Vegeta and his family, with Bulla in a carriage next to her mother, were dining with Beerus and Whis, at the resort. While all of them had good table-manners, a nearly salivating Beerus was far too excited, surrounded by new dishes he was getting to taste for the first time and he could barely contain himself, along with Whis, as they both vocally displayed the culinary pleasure they felt.

Gohan and Videl watched with pride and only some slight worry as Pan was feeding herself. She lifted and drank her porridge out of its bowl, using her tiny but strong hands, finishing with a reverberating burp that made her parents jump in their seats. She sleepily blinked, bowl still in hand, as she quickly began experiencing her first food-coma.

In Beranise's Palace, around the stacked table, the Saiyan women sat, eating away at the mountain of food from the bottom up. Even the more mild-mannered ones, like Kayen, Perille, Shirogo and Nori were more audibly and animately stuffing themselves. Kale, too, was tearing away at the meat and not just shyly nibbling, smiling with Caulifla, who was making satisfied noises as she chowed down, happy with their day. Beranise silently shoveled anything solid and poured liquids down to fuel herself, as their day was far from over. Vados stood at her side, face passive, as she used her staff to rebuild the mountain of dishes, summoning new ones and making empty ones vanish, without a word, but with perhaps the slightest hint of displeasure that might have been just boredom on her face.

...

The sun barely moved along the clear blue sky, as, back on the tanning-chair, Beerus' was blowing a bubble from his nose, along with Bulla, who was cuddled on his chest, as Bulma quietly took a few potentially embarrassing pictures of the scene. A flash from the camera and Gohan was blinded in the middle of his attack. He covered his eyes.

"What...!? Hey! What was that!?" he rubbed them, but his sight was not returning and Whis merely chuckled, with the intense glow from his raised palm fading.

"I used a technique similar to the one you call Solar Flare." Whis stated.

"I see that! Ugh...figuratively" Gohan muttered. "But, why?" he was confused by the sudden handicap.

"Well, I thought we would focus on sharpening your senses." Whis said.

"But...I _can't_ sense you." Gohan pointed out.

"True. But, you could not sense anyone from the 9th Universe, either, when you first fought them. And yet, you quickly discovered a way to see through your own energy that you have reflected off of your opponent, effectively functioning similarly to a radar, as I understand. I see no reason why it could not work the same way, now." he said, but became apologetically uncertain. "If it does not, I will simply restore your sight." he added.

"Okay." Gohan agreed. "Then let's see!" Eyes shut, he assumed a stance, cunningly smirking at his own pun and Whis had a small smile, as well, waiting with his hands behind his back.

Gohan waited for several seconds, getting a feel of his surroundings, then, went in for a punch that Whis floated away from and Gohan stopped. He was still for seconds, again, while Whis moved some distance behind him. Gohan could sense something and instead of slowly turning to face towards Whis, he whipped around with a rush, missing him, again. Whis brought his right-hand up for a chop that took even Beerus down, but was deliberately slower with its use on Gohan, whose eyes twitched and he suddenly turned and grabbed Whis' hand, before it hit. The latter simply smiled, not surprised by his talent.

"Very impressive." Whis stated and Gohan let go of him. "Even though you cannot directly sense my energy, you can still infer where I am, based purely on how your own energy interacts with the physical world around you. You are the first person, I have seen, who is able to sense, at least, the movements of an Angel." he commended him.

"But, what about Ultra Instinct, then?" Gohan asked, furrowing his brows in confusion. "I mean, once it's perfected, couldn't that make us sense...well...you?"

"Ultra Instinct does not quite work that way." Whis stated. "For one, it has its limits, especially an imperfect form, as you recall. And the same is even more true in the case of your ability." Gohan raised a brow. "I am making a comparison, as one can relate to how the other works. I have already explained to your father and Vegeta how relying on the limited number and speed of the signals in your body can hinder your response-time." Whis recalled. "The method you just used to find and keep track of me is very much susceptible to this, as you rely on the speed of the energy sent out by your body, its return to it and then on your nerves to interpret said signals to sense the fight. As clever as it is, it is even slower than your usual way of sensing an opponent. But, that small difference turns into a rather large disadvantage when the one you are fighting does not have the same hindrance." he pointed out, to Gohan's dismay. "While Ultra Instinct is a state free of all this, it is not simply an absence of it. Your father would not have had the strength and speed to outmatch Jiren, with clearer senses alone. He was able to do so, as the state also confers more power, similarly, in a Saiyan's case, to a higher Super Saiyan form, as I am sure you could guess." he added. "And now to answer your question...you will never sense us." Gohan's eyes widened. "As my dear sister pointed out, we, as well as the rest of our siblings still differ in terms of strength. We fight, not by sensing, in the traditional way, but by using the instincts of our bodies that automatically react to our environment without any conscious thought. To repeat, though, without sufficient strength and speed, this, alone, would not be enough. After all, when one's body cannot react faster and harder than what their opponent may naturally be capable of, it does not matter how good their instincts are, as they will still be outmatched. This was demonstrably true between your father and Jiren, in the earlier stages of his imperfect use of Ultra Instinct. And if he did not possess the potential for a higher level of strength and speed within himself, just the imperfect state would have been unattainable for him."

What Whis was also telling Gohan was that Angels did not simply rely on their different, undetectable energy or their mastery over their senses, but that they were physically strong and fast, to begin with and that the state of Ultra Instinct, in a Saiyan's case, was very much like a higher transformation, as it also increased strength and speed, along with the senses.

...

The Seven were all wearing the heavy fat-suits that Whis made Goku and Vegeta use, trying their best just to keep themselves from falling over in the garden, as they struggled to take even a step.

"This is ridiculous!" Kurogo fidgeted. "How're we supposed to even move in these?"

Pinch gritted her teeth, unable to even squirm inside and looked up with the others to see Vados was flying around the palace, at a considerably high speed, for some reason, with her staff in hand that she held in front of her.

"What's _she_ doing?" Pinch asked, trying to turn her head to follow her, along with the others. Whis' face was showing from the projection.

"Are you sure you are alright? At the Grand Leaders' palace, you did not look very pleased with the changes, even though they were predictable. It seems our Saiyan is proving to be less manageable than you expected. And Sour tells me you recently had to endure...certain situations, as well." Vados had a small frown at that and at his subtle amusement.

"I am fine." Vados not-entirely-flatly stated, briefly closing her eyes. "And he was not exactly thrilled with what has happened, either." She recalled how Sour was hesitant to leave Heles alone with Beranise, whose intentions with her were more than clear by that point.

"I could tell." Whis stated, with a small laugh, continued. "In fact, I do not believe I ever saw him so nervous about something." he noted. "So, how is our...defiant Destroyer doing? And...what are you doing, exactly?" Whis slightly tilted his head.

"I have no idea." Vados stated and Whis blinked, giving her an odd look. "She told me to lap around the palace. And that I will know when to stop."

"Not very cryptic." Whis stated. "Do you suppose she is planning to interrupt you herself?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"I will be surprised if...-"she suddenly stopped and Whis raised a brow. "Hold, please!" Vados told him and her eyes scanned the surrounding area. A large curtain was slightly pulled outwards, in one of the windows. The pond's surface lightly vibrated, as if someone blew on it. A single blade of grass broke off on the ground, as Vados felt she was just circled and turned with a hand raised. Then with a raising of her brow, followed by Whis' intrigued surprise, she immediately turned, again and made several quick deflections with her free-hand, causing small shockwaves, before she leaned, almost completely horizontally, backwards, as Beranise appeared, in the middle of a spin-kick, in front of her and as she twisted into another one, several sparks, the air warping around her and Vados' continued evasions indicated that Beranise made more than just two kicks in that brief maneuver and Vados used her free-hand to guard against all of them, finally catching Beranise's fist in front of her own sharp gaze, looking into her glowering silver eyes. Beranise did not look pleased, but neither did she growl or frown in irritation, as she did with past attempts and moreover, she had kept the form. Vados took note of that, regarding her with the same look and let her fist go, which Beranise soundlessly pulled back. She threw her an almost mandatory scoff and flew off, back towards the palace.

"My, that was certainly impressive, from what I could see." Whis commented, but his sister's attention seemed to be still elsewhere and she wordlessly hung up, much to his surprise, on his end and he blinked at her behavior. Vados kept looking in Beranise' direction and her eyes slightly narrowed as she glanced at the hand she blocked with, slightly clenching it and she looked back towards her, surprised she actually felt more than just the force of her last attack. An uncomfortable sensation she only ever knew when fighting her own siblings and which she last experienced when she trained with them. When she returned to the balcony, under which the Seven were still trying to move around in the suits, she found Beranise and Kale waiting, as Caulifla was busy doing her damndest to knock Pinch on her side, so she would not be able to get up.

"Hey, cut it out!" Pinch protested, viciously shaking her head at the grinning Caulifla, who was gritting her teeth from the effort, internally laughing, as she could make her tilt. She was almost successful when she saw Vados and knew her fun was over. With a sigh, she let go of Pinch and flew up. Pinch was momentarily relieved, but as she let out a sigh of her own, she felt she was tumbling back forward, faster than she would have liked. "No, no, NO!" And tipped over. "UGH!" With a face-plant and the soil muffled her sigh.

"Open it!" Beranise barked to Vados as Caulifla joined them, taking out her half of the Potara set and Kale was holding onto hers. Vados complied and opened the dimension. The two went in, followed by Beranise, who shot Vados a still silver-eyed glare, before disappearing inside and the latter promptly closed the exit, same as she had been doing for the last few days, but now she knew what was being kept from her and she could not help the look of caution on her face.

...

A silver-eyed Goku was intensely focusing all his thoughts on the Royal Blue Prince, as the latter was now capable of holding him off, without being immediately overwhelmed by the imperfect state Goku was willingly using, better than ever and as focused as Vegeta himself was, a smirk briefly showed on his face from the exhilaration he felt from possessing strength he could not imagine having, until they fought Jiren. He was still not on equal footing with Goku, but he was proving to him and himself that he eventually would be. Jiren was able to amass such strength and his absolute was even higher, without Ultra Instinct, which meant Vegeta had even more to strive for. Goku's face did not remain unflinching for long, as his glare deepened and he gritted his teeth, trying to plunge deeper into the state to draw more strength and speed from it, while Vegeta's attacks felt the same. The latter could feel Goku's push and he was not going to allow him to overpower him, yet, making Goku frown, when his increased effort was met by Vegeta, who internally laughed, relishing being pushed to new limits, once again.

"You're still not as strong as you were against Jiren!" he told Goku. "Or am _I _starting to catch up to him?" he smirked and they both knew the answer.

From the tanning-chair, Beerus, with Bulla still on his chest, slowly opened an eye, half-lidding in the direction of the fight and he slightly glared. The bubble Bulla was blowing popped as she woke up and sleepily stirred, blinking twice.

"Gah-gah?" she asked.

"Yes, that's your dad." Beerus muttered, even though neither of them could really feel their energy.

Goku and Vegeta circled each other, creating a large whirlpool with their movement that towered around them as they descended in its center, jousting all the way down, before the whole body of water came crashing together, seemingly swallowing them. A few seconds later, a huge tower of water erupted, briefly creating a deep well of empty air that sealed itself up, as if the ocean was healing itself from the punishment. They went skyward, ascending into the white rushing clouds and burst through above them. From the resort, it looked as if the whiteness suddenly had a large hole punched into it.

"Oh, so there they are!" Bulma watched from the beach and Trunks poked his head out of the water with Mei, both wearing snorkeling gear.

The atmosphere turned colder and darker as their sparring took Goku and Vegeta to the edge of space and the bright blue and green hues of the planet practically glowed from the sun's rays. They paused, remaining at a distance from each other in a half-relaxed stance. Vegeta shot him a challenging glare, which Goku returned and they both began charging their own signature attacks.

"Where the heck are they, now?" Bulma put her hands on her hips, looking up at the sky.

On another island, from a planetarium on top of some cliffs, a shaggy researcher peered through an instrument, catching a glimpse of two seemingly human figures, in all the blur, as they emitted intense light. He looked up from the device with bags under his tired eyes.

"I really need some sleep." he muttered, then, a bright explosion in the sky lit it all up, even from behind the clouds, making pillars of light that danced as they moved along. Bulma sighed and after not seeing anything for long seconds, she folded her arms with a look of worry.

"They should be falling by now." she quietly noted, from experience. In the upper atmosphere, Goku, still in his imperfect Ultra Instinct state, his silver aura dim, panted, as he looked at Vegeta, who was equally worse for wear, but still Royal Blue and still smirking in satisfaction, both at the beginning of a new chapter in their long venture for ever more power.

...

The Seven were finally making their first steps in the heavy suits, even Pinch managed to get back on her feet, as she raced the others to see who could go the farthest. Vados watched them and materialized an hourglass that already ran down, which she noted and raised her staff, opening the dimension, waiting for the ones inside to emerge. The Seven stopped and slowly turned to face towards the balcony. After a long moment, Caulifla and Kale walked out, the former lacing her fingers behind her head, as Kale was taking her still intact Potara earring off and Caulifla noticed, remembering hers was still on.

"Oh, yeah..." she muttered and took it off, as well.

The portal's light was briefly eclipsed as Beranise walked out, still in her Ultra Instinct state, with her clothes almost as torn as before and her body nearly as bruised, but there was an air of new power around her. Vados assessed her, as she came closer.

"How's dinner coming?" Beranise casually asked as she passed her without looking at her, reminiscent of Goku and Gohan's natural behavior, after their training in the Time Chamber, signifying, without a doubt, she had made the imperfect Ultra Instinct state indefinite, while retaining her normal attitude and Vados subtly glared after her, understanding what she had accomplished.

...

In a lightless training arena, Bergamo fell to his knees, tried to stand, but failed, as he knelt in defeat, out of breathe and energy, glaring up at the victor.

"I'm...stronger...than I've ever been...and still..." he could barely utter the words, before collapsing in front of a pair of platinum feet and Cell's ominous chuckle filled the infinite darkness.

_Honing their power further with every turn of the clock and able to keep their strongest forms longer than ever before, the Saiyans were flourishing. But just when it all started to seem like halcyon days, a new and improved Cell finally finished his own training and was ready for his return. With the training the Saiyans have all put in, just how balanced are the scales of power? Will Cell terrorize planet Earth, as he once did? And which Saiyan can stop him, this time? See how this particular reunion goes, on the next Dragon Ball Super! _


	17. Episode 16

**Episode 16**

**Second Stint**

In the dim throne-room of the 9th Universe's Destroyer, Roh's pleased chuckle quietly echoed.

"He has far exceeded our expectations! Wouldn't you say, My Lord?" he asked, standing in front of Sidra, with a sinister expression, steepling his fingers. "Those pesky Saiyans from the 7th will surely have to put up even more of fight than they did at the tournament, if they hope to survive, this time...and when they can't...hehehe..." he trailed off, gleefully grinning.

"I will rest assured when they are _destroyed_!" Sidra silenced him, leaning forward on his throne. "And even if it finally comes to pass, this Cell..." he contemplated. "He is a far greater threat than Frieza would have been. And we have released him into the universe, without any way to control him, once he fulfilled his end of our deal." he worriedly voiced his regrets.

"Should he become unmanageable, Mojito can simply..._revoke_ his probation." Roh suggested and Mojito remained silent. "Even if they have to fight, no one, not even this Cell, could ever be strong enough to challenge a Destroyer's Attendant." he pointed out and Sidra leaned back, only somewhat assured of his own safety. Unlike any of the Angels, he was not in a position to be flippant about his chances of survival.

"Shall I take him to their Earth, then?" Mojito asked Sidra.

"Do it!" he nodded and Roh's grin deepened even more.

...

On a field, a tractor was slowly plowing, being driven by a half asleep Goku, who rested his head on his hand, propped on his elbow, while the other lazily gripped the steering-wheel. Back in their home Chi-Chi was cutting up vegetables, being helped by her father and Goten.

"Goten...fly out and tell your father lunch will be ready, soon!" she told him.

"'Kay, mom!" he obeyed and went outside to take to the sky, but suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, his senses on full alert. The sensation that he felt shot through Goku's mind, who snapped wide awake.

At Capsule Corp HQ, Vegeta shot up in the lounge chair and Trunks stopped rocking Bulla to sleep, giving his father a horrified look that got Bulma's attention.

"D-dad...w-what is that? What's going on?" Trunks shakily asked and Vegeta looked like he was sensing something he could not believe and gritted his teeth.

At their dining table, cutlery fell on a barely started plate, as Gohan sprang up, feeling what he knew should have been impossible.

"Gohan, what's wrong?" Videl could see on his face that it was beyond serious, even by their standards and Pan mirrored her mother's expression, but with a look of confusion, turned away.

"Papa?" she squeaked, tilting her head and kept glancing back at her father, whose presence she could feel from two different direction.

At their dojo, Chiaotzu ran outside to the yard, where all the practicing martial artists kept on training and he hurried past them. "Tien!" he called out and Tienshinhan was already rooted in place with the same dread.

At a baseball field, the children played along, not even noticing their coach was frozen, like a statue. Yamcha's pupils were dilated and he was instantly sweating. "N-no way...i-it can't be..." he whispered, paralyzed by fear.

On the Kame Lot, Master Roshi stood outside, looking off in the distance, with a shaking glare behind his sunglasses and the knuckle on the end of his stick white from his grip.

On the Lookout, Dende was standing at the edge, with Mister Popo behind him, looking down, with an equally distraught Piccolo.

"This is really bad." Dende spoke. "And we thought Frieza coming back to life was enough evil."

On the resort, Beerus sat on his usual chair, cross-legged, with a hand on his knee, the other beside him and his tail was slowly whipping from side to side. Whis stood right next to him, calmly gazing off in the same direction.

"It seems the surprise have finally arrived." Whis noted. "I must say it is even larger than we anticipated." he added and Beerus actually appeared agitated, as the power he felt he could not take lightly. "This should be interesting." Whis stated.

...

On the ruined, desolate desert ground, where pieces of the finely cut stone floor of an arena were occasionally still unearthed from the sand by the winds, appeared Goku, in his work-clothes, with Vegeta, in his armor and jumpsuit, the latter holding onto the former's shoulder. They were immediately greeted by a familiar, mocking laughter and their eyes widened, as they saw their old foe.

"And here I thought you would go around and gather all your little friends for our reunion." Cell spoke, standing with his arms folded, his usual green color replaced by that of platinum. "For someone with Instant Transmission, you certainly took your time and you're not even dressed for the occasion, Goku." he commented. "At least, the Prince put on his best. Or do you sleep in those, Vegeta, hm?" he chuckled to himself. "And you haven't even bothered to bring your sons." he unfolded his arms, gesturing. "While I understand Trunks may be busy with his homework, I _was_ hoping to see Gohan, again." He put his hands on his hips and shrugged. "But, I promise, I'll make time for _them_ as well." He kept smiling and was met by silence. "Not even going to ask how I've been? How I've returned? Not that civility was ever a Saiyan's forte. I do believe I inherited mine from Frieza, ironically." Still nothing but glares. "Do I need to explain what _irony_ is, Goku?" he smugly asked, but Goku's glare only deepened.

"Tch." Vegeta nearly spat. "You haven't changed. You still love to hear your own voice."

"And who do you think I may have gotten _that_ from?" Cell replied and Vegeta suddenly smiled.

"Don't think I'm the same person!" Vegeta warned. "That any of us are." And Goku's glare turned into the same cunning smile.

"Oh, I _know_ that Blue is the new rage for you two." he stated to their surprise. "And Frieza went with _gold_, apparently." he made a face. "Neither one would've been my preference, really. Even considering you're all a part of me." he commented. "I also know about the Destroyer, Beerus, but as I'm sure you could already tell..." He partially let his hands down, spreading them to present himself. "Even the power a being such as him doesn't bother me, anymore." he smirked, clenching his fists as he flexed.

"So you saw our fight with Lord Beerus and Frieza, then?" Goku wanted to clear that up.

"Why do you think I'm smiling? I know what I'm up against." Cell confidently said.

"We're smiling, too, you know." Goku pointed out and Cell's faded some as he leveled his gaze.

"So you are, Goku. Your Saiyan blood makes you anxious to fight, I know. But, in this case..." he refolded his arms. "You'd be a fool to try and indulge it."

"I dunno." Goku smirked. "You definitely pulled a Frieza and surprised us with this new...uh..." he trailed off with an uncertain look. "What color is that, anyway?"

"Hmph. It wouldn't matter if he was still green, gold or whatever he is." Vegeta folded his arms. "He still doesn't know what he's up against." he smirked.

"Oh? And what _am_ I up against? Do tell!" Cell called what he assumed was a bluff and Vegeta's usual bravado.

"Like I tried to tell you, Cell..." Goku started. "You think you still know us. But, a lot has changed."

"And like I told you, I know all about your Super Saiyan Blue. There's nothing you can show me that will improve your chances here." he stared them down. "But, by all means, surprise me!" Cell exclaimed.

"You're making the same mistake Dr. Gero did." Vegeta told him.

"And what would _that_ be?" Cell humored him.

"He followed all of our battles, except what happened on Namek and he had no idea about Super Saiyans." Vegeta started. "Let me guess...you watched our battle with Beerus and Frieza on some big-screen in Hell?" he ventured.

"Oddly accurate." Cell replied. "What's your point?"

"He's saying you could see all the battles we had in _this_ universe..." Goku started. "Maybe even the small tournament Lord Champa and Lord Beerus threw together for us, between our two universes. But, you couldn't see the one after that!" Goku smirked. "When we went to a place _between_ all universes, called the Null Realm." Cell raised a brow. "There, we had a tournament with _six other universes_ and won."

"You have no idea what we've been through." Vegeta summarized. "Just like your creator, you don't know how far we've come."

"Oh, what? You're going to tell me you found another level?" Cell thought it was ridiculous. "So what color is it, this time? Red? Green?"

"Eh, more like silver, actually." Goku told him, with the same confident smile and it annoyed him.

"You're certainly acting awfully calm. I'd almost go as far as to say, I find it disturbing." Cell said.

"Well, we'd hate to make you nervous." Goku teased him and Cell frowned, but a flash of light from above made them look up to see a beam shot down from the sky and stopped in the air.

"Beerus." Vegeta guessed, unconsciously omitting the _Lord_ title, but they were all surprised, when the arrivals turned out to be Beranise, in her Ultra Instinct state and Vados. Cell's eyes narrowed in recognition at the former.

"The Saiyan woman." he muttered and noticed her attire. _"She's dressed like a Destroyer."_ he noted. _"Does that mean she's already become strong enough to take their place?"_ It annoyed him, but not as much as what he felt. _"And why don't I sense anything from either of them."_ he looked at Vados_. "That woman she's with...she's from the same race as the one who took me out of Hell."_ He still had no idea who or what they were and it unnerved him.

"Beranise? What are you doing here?" Goku asked, blinking in surprise.

"Whis called and said something big was going on." she folded her arms, looking down at Cell with her silver glare. "So...who's the shiny bug?" Cell's eyes twitched and he growled at her.

"This is Cell. The android we told you about, when you first came to Earth. Remember?" Goku replied, completely casually.

"Right...the one with all of your techniques and stuff." Beranise recalled. "Isn't he supposed to be dead? Or did reviving Frieza brought him back, too?"

"Nah. That wouldn't work." Goku dismissed it. "But, _someone_ revived him. And it had to be the same guys who broke into Bulma's place for the Dragon Radar, from one of the other universes. We still don't know who they are. And I don't think he's gonna tell us, either. Right Cell?" Goku smirked.

"Now, where would be the fun in _that?_" Cell replied. "But, frankly, I didn't bother to ask their name." he admitted, as names would not have told him much.

"That's too bad." Vegeta menacingly took a step forward. "You're going to go back to Hell without being any smarter."

"Bold words, as usual, Prince." Cell stated. "But, you have yet to show me where all this confidence is coming from."

"Hmph." Vegeta unfolded his arms. He closed his eyes, as Cell was expectantly watching and was not immediately fazed when Vegeta quietly turned Blue, even though he could not feel his energy. If Frieza was on-par with their strength, his was far superior, he believed. But, then, Vegeta screamed, his whole body flexed and bulged, as he transformed further, instantly reminding Cell of the very first time they fought. When he was sorely outclassed. It and the fact he could not feel his energy that he could properly compare to his own quickly stripped away his calm and he narrowed his eyes, growling at Vegeta's new form. A quick glance at Goku's unchanging smirk made him even less certain where he truly stood.

"Looks like someone's been hitting the gym...or Goku." Beranise commented.

"He couldn't really hit me _that_ much, actually." Goku teasingly said.

"Oh, shut up!" Vegeta told him. Beranise took an entirely disinterested glance at Cell.

"Well, have fun." she told them and turned to Vados. "Let's go!" she said.

"Where to?" Vados asked and Beranise gave it some thought.

"Capsule Corp." she replied and they vanished without a word.

"Hm-hm." Goku chuckled to himself, looking at where they were. "Did you see her, Vegeta?" he turned to him.

"Of course I did." Vegeta said.

"She might be even further along than _we_ are." Goku excitedly pointed out.

"Are you _finished_?" Cell was losing his patience faster than his nerve. "Weren't you supposed to be transforming, as well, Goku?" he asked.

"Not yet." Goku laughingly said. "Besides, Vegeta probably wouldn't let me fight you, first, anyway."

"You're not going fight him, at all...because he's _mine_, this time." Vegeta said.

"Hey, no fair!" Goku put his hands on his hips.

"I owe him. For Trunks and for myself." Vegeta declared, fixing Cell with a cold stare.

"Putting yourself second?" Cell was surprised. "Perhaps I was wrong. It seems all these years _have_ made you soft, after all." Vegeta did not say a word. He flashed forward, with a fist in Cell's stomach that made the latter slide back, his face twitching from barely contained pain, while Vegeta briefly remained in the end-position of his attack, fist still raised, eyes locked with Cell's, even as he relaxed and stood straight. "Hrrggh." Cell finally felt what to expect and silently cursed it.

...

At Capsule Corp HQ, Trunks took Bulla back into her room and guarded her. Outside, Bulma was worriedly staring off in the distance, as her parents lounged around, nonchalantly.

"How do you _not _know who bailed that guy out of Hell?" Beranise was asking Vados, making Bulma and her parents turn, as the two of them appeared on the balcony, surprising them. "Can't you see what happened with that staff?" Beranise raised her voice.

"I am unable to see the person who was in Hell, as their presence was hidden from the staff's vision. However, that actually narrows down the list of possible suspects, as only us, Angels, can shield our presence from the staff of another." Vados noted.

"So it was one of you!" Beranise stopped to glare at her, accusingly.

"Well, clearly not _me_." Vados replied and Beranise stared her down, before facing away.

"Whis had no reason to do it." Beranise figured. "Unless it was for training."

"I highly doubt he would revive someone, from Hell, no less, simply to serve the training of those two." Vados stated.

"Uh...hey...you two." Bulma cautiously greeted them, noticing Beranise's admittedly somewhat intimidating appearance. "Wow...what happened to _you_?"

"A staff blew up in my face." Beranise folded her arms and Bulma stared at her.

"Uh...oh...kay." She went with it. "So, you're saying whoever brought Cell back was an Angel, then?" she turned to Vados.

"It is the only possibility." Vados said.

"And you can't tell which one?" Bulma pressed.

"She can't." Beranise said, annoyed. Bulma was briefly lost, before she started brainstorming, quickly thinking of something.

"I got it!" she exclaimed, raising an index-finger and made a fist. "When Lord Beerus first came to Earth they asked Shenron about the legend of the Super Saiyan God and he just knew about it. He probably knows everything that happened in the past, so maybe _he_ can tell us. We just need the Dragon Balls."

"You got the whole set?" Beranise asked.

"Almost." Bulma nodded. "After those thieves stole one of my radars, we got six of the balls, just in case. A wish wasn't even ready, yet, since you used one. But..." She got a devious look. "Seeing how you're a Destroyer, maybe you won't need to wait out the six months. Shenron is scared stiff of Destroyers, apparently. I bet he won't even be upset if you summon him early."

"I'm not really a Destroyer." she corrected her and Bulma tilted her head. "Never mind. You know where the last ball is?" Beranise put her hands on her hips.

"Trunks said it was in a nest, with lots of eggs, so they didn't want to disturb them. It shouldn't be hard to get for _you_ guys." Bulma shrugged. "I just hope Vegeta and Goku won't have a problem on their end." she gazed off.

...

To his chagrin, Cell was having no fun fighting Vegeta, at all. While the latter was not completely outclassing him, his power more than rivaled Cell's new form. What added further insult to his slowly growing injuries was the lack of smugness he saw on Vegeta's face, as the latter seemed to be beyond taking his usual pleasure from it all. It was as if he did not even consider him to be good entertainment, never mind a worthy adversary. Every attack he made, every punch and kick, from every angle, was blocked and returned even harder or was immediately countered, forcing him into defense and gave him more difficulty than he was comfortable with. Vegeta came down on him with an axe-kick he deliberately swung too soon, feigning the whole move and making Cell raise his forearms early, as Vegeta dipped below his waist and guard, with the momentum, to bury his other foot, with a straight forward kick, in Cell's stomach, pushing him away. Cell coughed and snarled, glaring daggers into Vegeta, whose own intense eyes alone would have stopped them, as swiftly as his still calm demeanor eroded Cell's inherent bravado.

"Hmph. Pathetic." Vegeta finally spoke. "You have Saiyan in you. Even Frieza's talent for training himself close to our level in a few months is in you. And this is the best you can do." he stated, rather than asked and Cell silently boiled as he was given the reality check. "This power isn't even the strongest either of us fought, so far." He nodded, sideways, at Goku and Cell could not hide his surprise. "And as much as it still annoys me, Kakarot was able to reach a state far greater."

"Aww, Vegeta!" Goku whined. "Don't be a spoil-sport!" he complained, but Vegeta cared not for it. "Maybe he's not going all out, yet." Goku defended Cell's performance, which the latter would not have appreciate more even if it was true.

"Oh, please...he wouldn't make _that_ mistake." Vegeta folded his arms.

"Well, if you're so bored, then, how about letting me tag in for ya?" Goku spread his hands.

"I said no!" Vegeta shut him down.

"Oh, come on! You can still end the fight, just let me try _my_ thing!" That seemed to work, as Vegeta considered it, curious to see Goku's control over the imperfect Ultra Instinct in a real fight, against an opponent who would not hesitate to kill either one of them.

"Hhrr...Fine!" Vegeta gave in and turned slightly away from Cell, who, after having listened to them argue, while being completely ignored by both, was close to humiliation.

"You cannot be serious!" he growled at them.

"What?" Goku shrugged and started rotating his shoulders. "I just wanna get all I can outta this. I mean, it's not every day a fight like this comes along." he noted and somewhat sheepishly rubbed his head. "Then again, we had, at least, a handful of pretty tough ones recently." he recalled, which did nothing to calm Cell.

"Stop babbling and get to it, already!" Vegeta impatiently told him.

"Okay, okay." Goku muttered and his smile disappeared. He closed his eyes, exhaled, as Cell watched him take a deep breath, his energy suddenly becoming undetectable. What alarmed Cell even more was the piercing silver eyes Goku opened to look at him with, reminding him of Beranise's appearance.

"Hrrr..." Cell nervously glared. _"What __**is**__ this?"_ he thought.

"This is called Ultra Instinct." Cell's eyes widened at Goku's reply, as if the latter had read his mind.

Cell appeared to have even less of an idea how to approach Goku with the unsettling aura he was emanating. All he was willing to risk was to let Goku make the first move, which he did not. He waited, his expression, one of deep concentration unchanging, in contrast to Cell's.

"Apparently these new forms come with only one expression." Cell muttered, attempting to hide his nervousness. Several more seconds passed, grating on his patience, until he had enough. "Fine." he said and in the next moment, without even assuming an offensive stance, he moved to swing his fist, still missing Goku, whose own punch connected with Cell's face, before the latter was even through with his attack. Although Cell immediately recovered, he was clearly unsettled by the suddenness of Goku's response and did not know what to make of it.

...

On a small island, surrounded by the ocean, with no land anywhere on the horizon, the nest of a winged creature was loud from the hungry cries of the chicks inside, who were being fed by their mother. Between them, in the middle of the nest shined the last Dragon Ball. Beranise and Vados observed the peaceful, idyllic scene from above. The latter had the six collected balls hanging in the air behind her. Beranise wordlessly floated closer, unfolding her arms and vanished. Vados' eyes followed her and she raised her head to look up, to the other side of the small island, where Beranise appeared at the edge of a cliff, with the ball in hand. Vados looked back down to see the creatures remained undisturbed by her and entirely unaware she had been in their nest. They carried on, as if nothing happened. Vados looked up to see Beranise was waiting for her and with a swift move she was at her side.

"We're going to where Goku fought Hit. It's far enough away from anything." Beranise told her and Vados tapped her staff, transporting them across the planet to that familiar location, where no one would see and be frightened by the large dragon that would appear.

...

Meanwhile, Cell was having even less success with following Goku's movements, much less making any attacks actually hit. Even his counters were instantly met and rebuffed, before he was even finished thinking about them. Cell growled at Goku in frustration.

_"He's not even telegraphing any of his moves. With Vegeta, I, at least, had a fair idea when he would attack, but here...I cannot even tell when he stops defending and starts attacking. It's instant...as if he doesn't even have think about what he does."_ His eyes widened, as he started to understand why it was called Ultra Instinct.

"You're starting to understand, now, don't you?" Goku asked, in a tone Cell had not seen from him.

"Hrr..." Cell's eye twitched. "Maybe...!" He prepared a purple disc in each hand and threw them at Goku. "I need..." Followed by two more. "More!" And another two. He used his hands to guide the six slicers, missing Goku, on the first attempts, who had his back turned as all six discs came at him from behind him. Cell spread his hands, horizontally, then, vertically, sending a disc to both sides, one up and another down, to come at Goku from different angles. The latter did not even look at any of them and kept his unblinking eyes on Cell, as he swayed out of their way, to Cell's utter disbelief. He forgot to even maintain control over his discs and all of them flew off, exploding in the distance. Cell made two more and held them at the ready, as he grinded his teeth.

"Don't be stupid!" Vegeta spoke, arms folded. "You could have a hundred of those and they still wouldn't hit." he told Cell, who felt provoked by it.

"A hundred, you say!? We'll just see!" he exclaimed and his energy flared from the effort he was making. The disks he held deepened in color and became thicker, looking as if they were going to explode. He raised both, at the same time and hurled them. Halfway between him and Goku, both discs broke apart into dozens of smaller ones and there might actually have been a hundred of them, buzzing around, converging on him. "Now!" Cell yelled as they reached Goku.

All Cell saw was Goku flashing inside the swarm of discs, before he started flipping back and forth, lashing out with his hands, left and right, several times, creating multiple explosions, as he set off a dozen discs, with each swing, steadily clearing away all of them. Cell not believe his eyes.

_"Not only did he avoid every one of them, he even had time to attack and destroy them."_ he thought. "This impossible!" he cursed, out loud.

"You wouldn't think so." Vegeta said. "If you had seen what we had."

"He's right." Goku spoke. "This form is still imperfect." Cell raised one brow.

"Sounds familiar?" Vegeta mockingly asked and Cell shot him a glare. All of them noticed, with mild concern, as the sky darkened.

"The Dragon Balls..." Vegeta deduced.

"Someone must be calling Shenron." Goku stated the obvious.

"I swear, if one of them makes a wish to put Cell on another planet, before I can finish him..." Vegeta grumbled, remembering what they were told that ended their fight with Broly.

...

On the stone of the wind-swept cliffs, the glowing seven Dragon Balls pulsed in unison, in front of Beranise and Vados. The former had her arms folded as they waited and Vados quietly cleared her throat.

"Do you recall the phrase needed to call forth the dragon?" Vados asked. "Lady Bulma did say it is three specific clauses, including its name, in almost any order." Beranise started to half-heartedly mutter it.

"Eternal dragon, by your name I summon you, Shenron." she said, as if she was reading it from a boring paper and the orbs glowed brighter. A light shot into the sky, twisting into the shape of a dragon with a long, winding body. Shenron loomed over them, in his gigantic visage, lowering his head to address the one who had summoned him with his booming voice.

"You have summoned the Eternal Dragon, state your wish and I shall...-" he froze, when he saw Beranise and her new attire. "You are...uh, um..." he nervously stammered and started to sweat.

"Yeah, yeah!" Beranise raised her voice. "Look, I only wanna clear something up that some Angels..." she glanced at Vados. "_Conveniently_ can't for me. You can consider it a wish and we can both be on our way, as soon as you tell me who revived this Cell guy. We already know it had to be one of the Angels. So, can you tell which one or not?"

"I...do not know their name." Shenron apologetically said and Beranise raised a brow, narrowing the other, making him flinch away. "I-it was, indeed, an Angel who went to Hell and brought the one called Cell back to life, but...I do not know their name. The identity of such beings is beyond my knowledge. Though their very presence throughout history is hidden, even from another of their kind, I only know their face." he slightly raised his head to look at Vados.

"As I told you." she said to Beranise, who unfolded her hands and Shenron's jaw tightened, as he gave a nervous whimper from fear. Beranise impatiently threw her hands up.

"Well, if we show you a picture, can you pick 'em out, at least?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"Y-yes! I-I can recognize them." Shenron nodded, relieved he was able to be of service, after all. Beranise nodded from Vados at Shenron and she floated up in front of his large face, her staff projecting a line-up.

"Here are all the Attendants from all existing universes, aside from myself, in order." she told him as images of all Angels appeared, one after the other. Awamo, Sour, Camparri, Cognac, Cukatail, Whis, Korn, then, it came to Universe 9.

"Him!" Shenron exclaimed, looking at the image.

"Hm." Vados turned to Beranise. "Mojito. Currently dispatched to serve under Lord Sidra of the 9th Universe." she stated and Beranise's eyes narrowed.

"Figures." she muttered, unsurprised. "Tch..." she folded her arms. "Could've guessed as much. They're still out to get Goku and the others. What I don't get is why he didn't get a heads-up from King Kai. There's no way they didn't tell him someone sprung this Cell guy from Hell." she reasoned and Vados tried to offer and answer.

"Perhaps he was...-"

"HEY!" Beranise yelled, making Shenron ripple in fright. "KING KAI! YOU'D BETTER BE LISTENING!" she exclaimed and waited, until they heard his meek, apologetic voice, as he was actually tuned in.

"I-I'm sorry! King Yamma called me, after it happened, b-but...Lord Beerus told me not to say anything to Goku." King Kai spoke.

"Why?" Beranise asked, more quietly.

"I-I think they wanted it to be a surprise." he replied and Beranise had an odd glare, directed at no one in particular. "They said it would be good training for Goku and Vegeta. But...it looks like the whole thing...didn't really work." he admitted, what they all realized.

"Big surprise." Beranise dryly referred to Cell being ill-equipped to exact his or anyone else's revenge. She looked at Shenron and nodded to the side, telling him he could go, which Shenron was all too eager to do, forgetting to even say his usual farewell, before he returned to the balls. In a brilliant beam of light, they flew up and scattered. The darkness lifted and the skies cleared.

"Call your brother and see where he is!" Beranise told Vados.

...

In the relatively recently made desert, they also noticed their surroundings had returned to normal.

"Well...he's still here, so they didn't wish him away." Goku stated, looking at Cell.

"Obviously." Vegeta could see.

"Let's go, Cell." Goku said. "I still haven't had my feel of this fight."

"Tch. You don't even understand what a pun _that_ was." Cell muttered, as he could not feel their fight, at all, apart from the damage he already received.

"You had your time with him, Kakarot!" Vegeta took a few steps towards Cell to stand between them. "**I** will finish this." he said, but stopped and turned, in surprise, looking off into the distance. Goku did the same, as did Cell.

A small dot, flaring with white energy, quickly revealed itself to be Gohan, who briefly halted in the sky above, before he descended and landed behind them.

…

"Hmm..." Whis looked into the distance, standing next to a still lounging Beerus, on the resort.

"What's that boy doing?" Beerus wondered, hands behind his head.

Beranise and Vados could also feel the new arrival.

"What the hell is he doing there?" Beranise asked, as Gohan stood staring down Cell, who actually had a small, cagey smile, despite his situation, likely hoping to turn it around.

_Looks like Cell came back just to bite off more than he could chew! Goku and Vegeta both turned out to be still more than what his new power could handle. So why is he suddenly smiling? Is it simply nostalgia for Gohan and their fight? And why did Gohan show up, when he should be no match for him? Is that what Cell is hoping for? Will he trick Gohan into fighting him, instead of Goku and Vegeta? Is he planning to absorb his power, somehow, to even his odds? And what will they do, now, that they know who brought him back? See the fate the hands of time will deal him, on the next Dragon Ball Super! _


	18. Episode 17

**Episode 17 **

**No More Games**

The winds picked up around them, as Gohan fixated on Cell, as his father and Vegeta wondered why he would come to the fight.

"Gohan..." Goku acknowledged. "What are you doing here, son?" he asked, concerned. "It isn't safe." he warned him. "You're _strong_, but this time, Cell is...-"

"I _know_, dad." Gohan walked forward. "He's almost as strong as either of you." he stated, making Cell grimace in annoyance, as Gohan stopped next to his father.

"Then _why_ come here?" Goku asked.

"Because...I need to make up for the past." he stated, full of regret.

"No you don't, son." Goku's silver eyes searched him, knowing exactly what he was referring to.

"But, I do. You died because of my mistake. Because I didn't act, even when I had the power. And ever since Frieza, I promised myself that I'd never be weak or helpless, again. That I'd always be strong enough to face anyone who would try to hurt us." Gohan explained.

"Well, that's too bad, boy!" Vegeta spoke. "Because I owe him _double_ and after I couldn't collect on Frieza, twice. I'm not going to let him get away, as well or let anyone else deal with him."

"Well...Gohan..." Cell smirked. "It's so nice to see you, again, but it looks like the three of you are at an impasse. Vegeta wants revenge all for himself and your father seems to think you're too weak. How disappointing! When we last fought, he couldn't be dissuaded from letting you fight, but now..." Cell chuckled as he trailed off in his provocation. Before Goku could speak, Gohan did.

"I know what you're trying to do." he told Cell. "But, I won't attack you as I am, just so you could kill or absorb me and even your chances with my father or Vegeta."

"Then what?" Cell asked. "Are you truly going to just stand back and watch your father and the Prince fight _this_ battle for you, as well? Considering that every victory you had since we fought came down to them, at the end, haven't you had enough of standing on the sidelines?"

"You weren't listening." Gohan said, surprising Cell. "I said I'm not going to fight you _as I am_. As you know me." He raised his hands, clenching them into fists. "As everyone has known me." he added and without even screaming, released a whirlwind of energy that made his father retreat in alarm as Vegeta shielded his eyes, along with Cell. Across the planet, all of the Z-Fighters stared ahead, with their mouths slightly hanging open. King Kai was equally awe-struck, as were all the practicing warriors in the Grand Kai's courtyard, who were feeling it all the way from Other World. Beerus sprang up in the tanning-bed, gawking, as Whis knowingly smiled. White bands of lightning unnaturally swirled around with the storm that started to implode on its center, all of its energy being sucked in, before it exploded outwards, blowing away all the debris and sand in the air, along with all the clouds in the sky, completely clearing the landscape. Goku and Vegeta could finally lower their hands to see and marvel, with the exception of Cell, as Gohan stood there, surrounded by a stark white aura, with lightning shooting around and from him. His eyes were a glowing bright blue and his still black hair was fully spiked, without any bangs, as if he was Super Saiyan 2.

"That's incredible, son!" Goku praised him, as Vegeta stared in shock, before it turned into a smile, while Cell visibly quivered, both from anger and worry, as he could actually feel Gohan's new power.

…

"Holy crap…!" An adult Trunks' hands were shaking as he held the scroll that was writing itself.

"Trunks, I swear, you need to lay off of that!" Chronoa called from the other side of the room, hands on her hips, but he was glued to it and she sighed. "Oh, what is it _now_?" She started to walk over.

"Hmph." Beranise nonchalantly felt the situation. "If that guy wasn't already screwed, he is _now_." she gauged Gohan's strength.

...

"This is who I am, now." The new Gohan spoke, as lightning still sparked around him. "All I _could_ be."

"No...!" Cell fumed. _"First Vegeta, then, Goku, now __**this**__!"_ He became painfully aware of his exact chances for survival and Gohan took a step towards him, partially lowering himself into a stance, alarming Cell, who gritted his teeth and tried to ready himself. Gohan's eyes made a zig-zagging trail as he charged at Cell, switching angles, several times, quickly circumventing his panicked attacks, with an Eagle Kick from below, before Cell could cross his forearms in front of himself and it caught him square in the jaw, rattling him. Cell barely recovered, as Gohan continued his assault, masterfully evading, blocking and redirecting his anger-fueled attacks, dishing them back stronger and more precisely, with perfect form and discipline. Even though the gap between them was nowhere as large as it once was, it quickly became clear Gohan was dominating Cell, again. But, he took no pleasure from it. His stern, unflinching face resembled his father's, as he pummeled him, methodically and mercilessly, without pause.

...

"After all the hype, this Cell won't even last for a full anime episode." Beerus disappointedly lied back down. "Talk about a rip-off." he yawned.

"Well, it is not like we _paid_ for the entertainment." Whis noted.

"Yeah, you only let it happen!" Beranise's accusing voice rang out, a second before she and Vados arrived in front of them and Beerus sat up, again, somewhat annoyed by the disturbance. It all vanished, when he saw the state Beranise was in, as she glowered at them, arms folded and he narrowed his eyes. She directed hers at Whis. "Aren't you gonna say _what a pleasant surprise_? No wonder you knew about the fight so fast, when you were just waiting for it to happen. And you don't even know who set it up! Maybe I should let _that_ one be a surprise!" she told him.

"Oh, please…it isn't difficult to guess. It had to be either Quitela or Sidra." Beerus rested an arm on his pulled-up knee. "And my bet is on that rat." he added.

"Then you lost." Beranise stated, to his annoyance. "It was the 9th. And they got their _Angel_ to jailbreak Hell." Whis raised a brow, glancing at Vados.

"I see." Whis understood. "I wonder why Mojito would go along with such a plan, even if it was an order from Lord Sidra and not advise him against it. Regardless, this would suggest Lord Sidra was also responsible for the attempt made on Goku and Frieza, shortly before we departed for the Tournament of Power." he stated and Beerus growled.

"The Grand Priest and the Omni-Kings cannot let this slide!" Beerus exclaimed, standing.

"I am certain the ones responsible receive due punishment, My Lord." Whis stated.

"Except for your brother, right?" Beranise predicted. "He gets a pass, because he was just ordered to do it." she mockingly said. "While the rest of the 9th might get wiped out."

"Well…he was merely fulfilling his duties. A reprimand may still be in order, however." Whis noted and it did not seem to satisfy Beranise.

...

Platinum and pure white flaring figures were almost indistinguishable from each other as they rapidly spun around, sparks shooting between them that were attacks, attempted ones on Cell's part, while the ones Gohan returned hit with a lot more success and force that quickly made a frustrated Cell fall back. He held his hands behind him, cupped together at the wrists and blue energy barely began gathering for a Kamehameha, before he was forced to stop and move to narrowly avoid Gohan's kick that swept across where his head was, a split second ago. With a burst of speed, Cell ascended, hurling a few blasts to keep Gohan at bay, just long enough to align himself with the sun and raised his hands at the side of his head, fingers spread.

"Solar Flare!" he screamed and the intense light successful stopped Gohan in his assault, who was momentarily stunned and lowered the hand he raised, as it was too late to shield his eyes. Down on the ground, Goku and Vegeta were able to do it in time and were somewhat worriedly, but expectantly looking on, as Cell, pleased with actually pulling the move off, charged straight at a seemingly helpless Gohan, who was oddly unperturbed, as he kept his eyes closed. Cell bared his teeth, as he grinned, bringing his fist forward to punch him, but it shot past him, as Gohan side-stepped it and elbowed Cell in the face, who drifted back with a bruised cheek, eyes twitching in anger. He yelled and made several more attacks, kicking and punching every way he knew, from every angle, for long seconds, with no success, until he ended up out of breath. "How!?" he barely had the air to demand to know.

"Blinding me won't work." Gohan replied, eyes still closed. "I already fought someone, from the 9th Universe, whose energy I couldn't even feel and _they_ used an ability to take away my sight, too. And I can still feel _your_ energy. So, you have no advantage, here." Cell growled at him. "You still thought you knew us, even after all this time. Like Dr. Gero, back then. And just like Frieza."

...

"It seems Gohan's increased power made his ability to reflect his energy off of his opponent work much faster." Whis noted. "The speed of the signals his body sends and receives are on par with his normal energy-sensing capabilities now. He can effectively fight without his sight." he pointed out. "Whether he uses his eyes or not, it is as if he has gained an extra sense."

"Extra sense, huh?" Beranise repeated. "Sounds pretty close to something that starts with _Ultra_ and ends with _Instinct_." Beerus internally growled at that.

"Almost." Whis nodded.

...

"Frieza didn't even take enough time to learn to control his new form. He wanted revenge so much, he came right here just to fight my dad." Gohan recalled. "And the part of you that's him made you do the same. But, even if your form is designed to be perfect, the flaws aren't physical."

"Hrrggh...are you a psychologists, as well?" Cell scowled, visibly in pain and at his wit's end. "Or is that...?" he briefly brought his index and middle finger to his temple. "Just..." he pointed at him. "Piccolo!?" And fired a Special Beam Cannon that Gohan slapped into the ground, in front of him, with a well-timed parry, blowing dirt and debris in the air and Cell cursed, then, he saw twin bright blue trails of light move within and the cloud pushed outwards, as Gohan burst through, back on the attack. Cell braced himself while he moved backwards, as all he could do, again, was defend. He instantly split in four, ganging up on Gohan and was sent flying as many ways. His After Image failed, as well. Gohan's new and improved senses saw through every decoy Cell left, as Gohan turned to block the attacks from the actual one. If the real Cell's energy or Gohan's own energy reflected off of him was not enough of a give-away, then, Cell's face, contorted in anger, would have betrayed him, regardless, as Gohan slugged him across it, drawing blood. Cell sneered and pointed a finger, unleashing a hail of reddish blasts that were Frieza's attack, times a thousand. Gohan moved out of their way, circling Cell.

"He's not even thinking, anymore." Vegeta commented, as a few of the blasts passed and even hit near them, but neither he nor Goku felt they needed to move.

...

"This fight's over." Beerus stated as he sat and lied back down. "And not even a notch on their belt."

"Well, if nothing else, Gohan came into his own." Whis said and Beerus gave a slight frown, somewhat annoyed by his new level of power.

"This is how strong a halfling can get, then." Beranise observed.

"The potential _may_ vary from one individual to another." Whis said. "But, he certainly proved just how far _he_ could go. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that we have only seen the offspring of a Saiyan and a Human. Who knows what power a person with a different heritage could have, if their other half was from a race innately even stronger than the humans of Earth." he offered the intriguing thought.

"Well, we're not gonna see any of _that_." Beranise muttered. "I think." she reconsidered. "Goku and Vegeta are out. That leaves only Broly...and the Prince's got a brother somewhere." she waved it off, not really counting Tarble.

"We do have a whole other universe full of Saiyans." Vados pointed out and Beranise's eyes briefly widened, as she only thought about the 7th Universe, obviously excluding herself from having her own progeny, without considering the 6th.

"Good grief..." Beerus muttered.

…

Cell was kicked from above and began spiraling towards the ground, with Gohan charging after him and he could barely slow himself, as he made a disk with each hand, twisted around and threw them at Gohan, continuing to retreat. In the very last possible moment, the latter barrel-rolled out of the way of the first one, not losing any speed and as the second came, he made a quick burst, to get above it, reaching out with a hand and snatched the disk, doing another roll, with which he threw it back at Cell.

"Ha-ah!" The latter made a surprised yelp and narrowly avoid it, by turning outwards, as it cut the tip of his left wing off and he winced from the pain, before his face was kicked in. With a trail of gushing blood, he crashed into the dry ground. The dust that was kicked up slowly began to settle as he shakily got to his feet, feeling his broken nose and he snarled at his bloodied hand.

"KA-..." His head snapped up. "ME-..." And he saw Gohan charging his attack. "HA-..." Unbelievable energy swirling into a pulsing ball in his hands. "ME-..." Cell made haste and in a desperate attempt, put his index and middle-fingers to his temple to use Instant Transmission. He appeared behind Gohan, viciously swinging down on him, but the latter let his charging energy go with one hand, spun around and got behind a shocked Cell, whose wide eyes had just enough time to look from their corner to see the result of his mistake. "HAAAA!" Gohan thrust his right hand forward, firing the wave, point-blank, into Cell, who screamed as it pushed and burned him away. He tried to stop it, pushing against it with all he had, shooting across the sky. Gohan let his Kamehameha fly on its own and making a wide arc, chased after Cell. He came up behind him, with his hands raised above his head, palms facing forward, on top of each other. Cell strained himself to turn his head, grinding his teeth, to look where he was going and saw Gohan. His widened eyes, like a deer's in a headlight, showed he knew what was coming and how he would end. "MASENKO...HAAA!" Gohan fired the technique he learned from Piccolo, long ago, with his new level of power, trapping Cell, who screamed as the two attacks crashed into each other, lightning up the sky as they obliterated him, without leaving any traces from which he could have regenerated.

Through the projected screen, Whis, Vados, Beerus and Beranise all watched the admittedly less than dramatic, but still spectacular finish.

"Outstanding." Whis smiled.

"It's...over..." The grown Trunks quietly observed. "Unbelievable." he whispered. On Earth, his young-self ran out onto their balcony.

"Mom, mom!" Bulma turned to him. "It's over! Gohan did it! He totally beat that guy!"

"Gohan?" Bulma blinked in surprise.

At their home, Pan was doing a victory dance, in the air, gleefully saying "Papa! Papa!" as Videl smiled up at her, then, sat down, relieved. All their friends who could feel the energy disappear could hardly believe it was over so quickly.

Gohan was silent, looking at the empty air, feeling neither pride nor satisfaction, but a sense of closure, as he completely left his old self behind. He turned to look down at his father and Vegeta, then, flew back, landing in front of them.

"He was supposed to be mine." Vegeta complainingly stated.

"I'm sorry." Gohan apologized.

"Hmph. Whatever." Vegeta folded his arms, reverting to normal. "He was hardly worth the effort, anyway." Goku turned back, as well.

"Bummer!" he exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips. "I was gonna practice..." he suddenly had a challenging smile. "But, I guess we both have an even better training partner, now!" He let his hands back down, raising one into a fist. "Great job, Gohan! We knew you had it in you, son." Gohan looked at Vegeta, too, who nodded in acknowledgement and respect, with the hint of a smile and Gohan reverted to normal. He smiled himself.

"Thank you." he said to both.

...

On the resort, all of them met up to discuss certain details about what happened.

"So, you _knew_ he would be coming back?" Gohan was asking Whis to understand their reason for keeping it a secret.

"Both Lord Beerus and myself were certain this would provide your father and Vegeta with an excellent opportunity to complement their training. But, since Cell proved to be less of a challenge than we predicted, it appears all three of you have exceeded our expectations, once again." Whis replied, as Beerus remained silent and looked away, as he sat on the tanning-bed, not wanting to admit as much.

"You still love to underestimate us." Beranise said, with contempt, glaring at Whis and Vados glanced at her from the corner of her eyes. "Same as the 9th." Beranise added.

"Those bastards broke into my home and attacked _my_ family." Vegeta stated, in anger. "And they're going to pay for it."

"You're gonna call your dad and set up another Exhibition Match." They all turned to Beranise, in surprise, at her words. "It might as well be _trial_. The 9th Universe is going to answer, including your brother!" she looked pointedly at Whis and Vados. "But, since you like keeping things to yourself, neither of you will tell your dad or anyone what's it all for. It'll be a nice surprise for them, including the other universes, who'll also be _invited_ with all their warrior, at my..._request_." she laid it out for them, emphasizing the last word, as it was not really a request, but an order and a threat.

...

In Sidra's thrown room, both him and Roh were profusely sweating in front of a live image of the Grand Priest, who was addressing all universes.

"...and so all Destroyers, Supreme Kais, as well as all participants from the Tournament of Power are hereby invited to the Second Grand Exhibition Match. The event is set to begin after the same amount of delay as the tournament did, meaning the equivalent of 48 Earth-hours. Please prepare accordingly! Our Grand Leaders are already beside themselves..." The Zenos excitedly popped up on either side of him. "And are very much looking forward to seeing another amazing performance."

"See you later!" The Zenos said in unison, waving and ending the announcement. Their image disappeared, leaving a completely nerve-wrecked Roh and Sidra standing. The latter slumped, sinking into his thrown as he gripped the armrest, while Roh heavily sat on his rear, holding his head and fearing the worst, as they knew their plan had failed.

_Barely a blip on the radar or bump in the road, Cell was soundly defeated by Gohan and his incredible ultimate power that rivalled his father's and Vegeta's. He could finally feel sure he would never fail them or their family and friends, again. And now they all had another event to prepare for, as Beranise plans to use the Second Grand Exhibition Match to possibly play judge, jury and even executioner to the 9__th__ Universe's constantly conspiring leaders. How will the rest of the universes react? And will the Grand Priest and the Grand Zenos punish the guilty equally? Or will Beranise have to step in, as she promised? The time for a reckoning has come, on the next Dragon Ball Super! _


	19. Episode 18

**Episode 18 **

**Close to the Date**

Back on the grassy grounds in Beerus' domain, Gohan, in his strongest form batted away his silver-eyed father's punch, followed by a kick behind him, rebuffing Vegeta's own, as they sparred, while being observed by Whis. Inside, high in the edifice, tucked under his blanket, Beerus opened a not-so-sleepy, but fully awake eye, as he had been aware of their activities that prevented him from getting the sleep he needed. The walls shook and his eye twitched, though he could not bring himself to be as annoyed as he usually would have been, since the powers that were being tested, outside, rivaled his own, which meant he had to control his temper. Gohan faced one opponent and was still able to readily respond to the attack of the other, as heightened senses enabled him to keep track of both, even though he could not feel either of their energies. It was not quite like attaining even an imperfect Ultra Instinct, but it gave him the means to keep up with it, much like Vegeta's Royal Blue form. They all found their own way of reaching higher and with Gohan's new power, Goku and Vegeta both had a partner, who could draw out the maximum and more from them, which was the only way for any of them to grow stronger. Whis observed as Gohan continued to perfect his ultimate strength, through his father and Vegeta's efforts, giving them the opportunity to do the same, as they all appeared to be on equal footing.

Beerus slowly came up from behind Whis, still in his pajamas, looking grumpy. Whis slightly turned to him. "Could not sleep, My Lord?" he asked and turned back to the bout. "I suppose it is difficult... with all this considerable power being thrown around in one's front-yard" He gave Beerus a sly side-glance and the latter groaned as he looked at him from corner of his eyes at the teasing. "Not so long ago it was our female Saiyan who was showing off her new power against those two. Pure-blooded or not, it is astounding how fast Saiyans can evolve." he added, but without a smile and Beerus caught his expression that could be described as both impressed and troubled. He took note of it.

Gohan dodged a Feint Shot that Vegeta slung at him, then, extending a hand, he pushed himself off his kneeing attack with a repulsing wave, bending forward to let Goku's sideways chop go over him and kicked behind him, which was blocked by one from his father, who spun, doing a scissor-kick that Gohan met with his own. He could sense Vegeta launching at him, again, but he only had time to turn from his father, crossing his forearms, to block a straight forward sole-kick from Vegeta that pushed him back. They parted and attacked him from two side and Gohan used their own momentum to redirect them, with a quick throw, shoving them along in the direction they were going, which only gave him a brief moment, as they both immediately stopped themselves to turn back towards him. He shot upwards, putting his hands together, locked at the wrists. "KA...ME...!" Goku and Vegeta almost instantly rose to the same height in pursuit. "HA...ME...!" And attacked from both sides, again. Gohan made half a turn, separating the energy he gathered and threw his hands out. "HAAA!" Releasing two waves, to two sides, at once. Vegeta halted and attempted to power through it by pressing against it, while Goku briefly stopped and reversed, raising his index and middle-fingers to his temple to use Instant Transmission. With his perfected radar-like sense, Gohan, somewhat to his own surprise, could feel a faint energy already being reflected behind him, from the vibrations in the air, where his father emerged, not a moment later and due to Gohan's momentary confusion about what he felt, Goku even had time to attempt a palm-strike to the back of his head, but Gohan grabbed his hand and threw him over his shoulder, to his front.

"Oh!" Whis quietly exclaimed, with a smile, again and Vegeta came bursting through Gohan's wave, only to stop as Goku turned to Gohan, his face still unflinching, silver-eyes unblinking.

"You sensed where I'd be." he stated. "Incredible." he complemented him.

"I wasn't sure what it was, until you appeared." Gohan replied. "I guess I got a way to track you, now. At the tournament, Frieza showed off when he fought that Yardratian. But, he could only out-pace him, because his speed was far greater. So even with Instant Transmission, the guy couldn't surprise him and it made him predictable. I doubt Frieza had any way to really follow that move."

"Tch. He was bluffing, just to play mind-games." Vegeta frowned. "Having far superior speed and strength wasn't enough for him. He still can't resist toying with people's minds." he disgustedly added.

"He wants his opponent to fear him." Gohan said with disdain. "To make them unsure about their own strength, even when he's already got the advantage."

"Hmph. As long as he has it and he can get away with his smug mouth, that is." Vegeta said, folding his arms. "He couldn't even handle Toppo. He was too busy screaming from pain to talk. And he could only hold out against Jiren, after Kakarot already nearly beat that bastard and weakened him." he disparagingly pointed out. "Why are we even talking about him, anyway? He couldn't possibly hope to beat us, now." he suddenly got annoyed.

"Well..." Gohan reverted to normal. "All___I_ was trying to say is how me sensing dad's movements, while he was using his Instant Transmission, was different from what Frieza did." Then, he had a slight smile. "_You_ went off on him." he folded his arms, pointing it out and Vegeta went back to normal, as well.

"What!?" Vegeta snapped at him, as Beerus and Whis looked on, from where their voices were not as loud. "_You're_ the one who kept talking about him and his ways!" Vegeta argued.

"And then you continued!" Gohan said.

"Only because you brought it up!" Vegeta replied and Whis shook his head at their antics.

"Okay, okay! We both did, then." Gohan settled it, as Beerus looked unamused.

...

An image of a distressed Cabba was being projected, as he was nervously responding.

"...and you're saying this Exhibition Match will be between all the universes, like the tournament!? Then why tell me, _now_? We barely have a day left to prepare!" he was asking a relaxed Beranise, who was sitting at the dining table, chewing, as she held a drum-stick in one-hand that she gestured with, even though Cabba could not see, while Vados stood next to her, at a full table.

"Relax! It's not going to go that far. Calling it an Exhibition Match was just an excuse." she vaguely told him and swallowed.

"An excuse? What do you mean?" Cabba kept looking skyward, as he talked, while all the Seven, Kale and Caulifla sat around, watching.

"Look, all you need to know is that none of you'll be really fighting anyone...probably." she added.

"Probably?" Cabba was not placated, at all and jumped when he heard Caulifla, who leaned in to see his face.

"Oh, what'sa matter? Worried you're gonna get pummeled?" she mockingly grinned.

"Just get on with your day, kid." Beranise waved with her other hand, leaning back. "And don't get all worked up. This won't be anything life-threatening. For us, anyway." she shrugged and Cabba's eyes widened. "You'll be picked up with the rest, like last time. Now go and do something, besides sweating bullets, until then." she added.

"Go do some push-ups!" Caulifla told him. "You're still scrawny!" she teased with a laugh and Kale had a small, clearly satisfied smile, enjoying it. The projection disappeared, as if terminating a video-call and Caulifla plopped back down, lacing her fingers behind her head.

"His one worry-ward lad." Shoga commented, picking up a cooked shrimp-like creature.

"Not nearly as bad as the Supreme Kai." Kurogo said as she raised her full cup to her mouth and drank.

"That guy looked like he was gonna get a heart-attack, when they told him!" Pinch exclaimed and Beranise's eyes briefly widened at the thought, then, a quiet chuckle from Vados made her threw her a side-glare and she got up.

"Get ready for training!" Beranise raised her voice and Caulifla lowered her hands, surprised.

"Still?" she asked. "You already-...mph!" Beranise clamped her mouth shut, as she turned to walk off and took her hand back when Caulifla tried to bat it away. She folded her arms, leaning back, as the others exchanged looks, except her and Kale. Vados looked towards Beranise, with some mild suspicion, but she did not follow her around, anymore, as per her order.

...

Velmod sat, resting his head in his hand, as he was being fanned by his harlequin-like servants, while Marcarita stood at his side.

"This is the second tah'ym this month everyone from the tournament is being summoned." he muttered. "I'm supposed tah be retah'yerin', not worrying 'bout anotha' competition." His face was dropping, as he spoke. "Not that our universe couldn't put on a show fo' the Grand Leaders, especially with Jiren more motivated." He comforted himself with the thought, as elsewhere in their universe, a red, flaming aura grew larger, emanating from the meditating Jiren, who floated in complete darkness, legs crossed, as he was focusing his mind, undisturbed. "Besides…the only one who could possibly give him any trouble, at this point, is that Goku." Velmod added.

...

"First, she threatens our dear Kusu..." Rumush was saying, from the hill they observed their warriors. "And now she is having the Grand Leaders and the Grand Priest organize another potentially disastrous event, at her behest."

"Her intentions may still be noble, despite her...demeanor." Gowasu noted. "She merely wishes to protect all innocent lives, in every universe, from another possible erasure."

"And so she made her intentions clear, during her visit." Rumush did recall. "Then why make such an announcement so soon after the tournament, when the universes barely had time to improve? Is it not against her desire to ensure they prevail? This could spell their destruction, including our own, if the Grand Leaders are not satisfied with everyone's performance." He questioned her actions, unaware of the true reason for the Exhibition Match.

...

"I wonder what that pesky place-stealer is up to." Quitela mumbled, sitting in his pillowed globe-chair, arms folded.

"Lord Quitela, surely you are not against another Destroyer plotting, are you? That would be hypocritical of you." Kuru, their Supreme Kai, pointed out.

"Of course I have a problem with it!" Quitela jumped off, unfolding his arms and thumbed at himself. "I only like it when _I'm _the one doing the plotting." he matter-of-factly said, refolding his arms.

"Naturally." Cognac commented, as most mortals seemed to reason the same way and Quitela growled.

"Ever since she took over, she just kept promising his Lordships _more_ action." he threw his hands up. "Getting them all excited, just like that Goku. And she's from the 7th Universe, as well. It's like they all have a death-wish!" he balled his fists. "Well, _I_ don't! Especially knowing our chances." Something occurred to him and he raised his head. "Wait! Maybe _that's_ why she's doing it!" she growled more deeply. "She knows we'd lose. None of the universes had time to up their game, so we'd all be humiliated, in front of the Grand Leaders. _That's_ what she wants! Why that little..." he was seething, certain his assumptions would turn out to be true.

"I…suppose we could assume as much." Kuru uncertainly agreed, just to keep him calm, while Cognac seemed to be pondering what could really be the reason to hold another event so soon after the last.

...

Jimizu was using his mastery of Instant Transmission to sow confusion amongst the others of the 2nd Universe, avoiding Ribrianne, Rozie and Kakunsa's triple attacks, constantly being on the move. He came close to Kakunsa, attempting a sneak attack, but Bikal suddenly appeared, swooping down from above and protectively chased him off, forcing him to retreat, which earned her a warm, appreciative smile from Kakunsa, making her feel fulfilled.

Heles sat under her tent, being fanned by servants, but rather than her attention being completely on her training warriors and the performance they were putting on, her mind was clearly elsewhere, even as she was gazing ahead of her. Pell stood on her left side, looking troubled. Sour, on her right.

"Time is not on our side." Pell stated. "It is too soon to have an Exhibition Match of such scale." he said, looking at their fighters. "Surely none of the universes had the time to bolster their warriors' power and skill to outperform _even just themselves_, compared to their efforts at the Tournament. Doesn't she realize that? Why would she even request such an event?" he referred to Beranise and Heles raised her head, glancing at Pell, before turning back to their fighters.

"She is Lord Beranise to you, Pell." she sternly stated and he turned to her, in surprise, for she usually did not regard even her fellow Destroyers as equals. "You will address her as such, whether she prefers the title or not." Heles added and Pell composed himself.

"Y-Yes, My Queen! M-My apologies, Lord Heles!" he blurted out as Heles looked on, wondering the same as him and Sour could see her nervousness and uncertainty.

…

"_Positive!?"_ Roh repeated, going off on Mojito. "The only _positive_ thing in this whole mess is that neither the Grand Leaders nor the Grand Priest nor anyone from the 7th Universe is aware of what we've done." he stood at Sidra's side. "If anyone really knew, we would've been erased, already! But the timing…!" he paused, looking at his feet, then, shook his head. "No! It has to be a coincidence." he tried to make himself believe, as well. "If nobody from the 7th knows, how would that Saiyan woman know? She's just planning to show-off to his Lordships somehow. That's all it is. Yes. We…we have nothing to fear." he gave a weak, transparently forced and not at all reassuring smile, still sweating.

"We have plenty to fear, you fool!" Sidra exclaimed, slamming his fists on his armrest and gripped them, as Roh flinched back. "Even with Bergamo's new power, he is no match for the 7th's strongest fighters or the 6th Universe's for that matter! They did not even struggle against this Cell, as strong as he was. Our universe has no way of pleasing the Grand Leaders. They will surely see our weakness, as will the others! We were merely fortunate neither of our attacks against the 7th could be traced back to us, but now…it does not matter, because by tomorrow, we will be fortunate, again, if _all_ we will suffer is utter humiliation." Sidra predicted their inevitable failure and Roh shakily looked at his own feet, gritting his teeth, as Mojito had a faint smile, similar to the one when the 9th Universe was erased.

…

Vados walked out onto the balcony that overlooked the grounds, hearing the Saiyan women training, even before she saw them, including Caulifla and Kale. She approached the two, as they sparred in their normal states and glanced at the faint glow from the sealed staff-dimension, where Beranise was alone, for once.

"Should the two of you not be taking this time to recuperate?" she asked Caulifla and Kale, as it was normally their downtime, between training with Beranise.

"Nah. We're not tired." Caulifla cockily replied. "Besides, we barely got to practice for ourselves, since she started making us fuse every time." she smirked and launched herself at Kale. Vados looked at the Seven, all in the fat-suits, who were jumping up and down, unable to actually clap and click their heels together, doing basic gymnastics in them, slowly, but much more mobile and free in their movements then they were mere days ago.

"It seems all of you are taking the remaining time for more work." Vados observed.

"You bet!" Caulifla exclaimed, attacking Kale and enjoying their session too much to bother with longer replies. Vados let them carry on without any further questions and took another glance at the sealed portal, from where Beranise was only going to exit the next time Vados was scheduled to open the dimension for her practice with Kefla. "Hey! So, how's dinner coming, huh?" Caulifla's particularly phrased question, same as the one Beranise asked, brought Vados out of her musings and she turned, raising a brow at Caulifla, not amused by her glibness, as the latter internally chuckled, before she reengaged Kale, who blocked a few punches from her.

"Should you really be joking with her like that?" Kale asked and not with her usually meek tone.

"Hmph. What's she gonna do, _starve_ us? She's more like a butler than a trainer, anyway." Caulifla muttered and Vados slightly narrowed her eyes, as she could hear her. "You heard how strong they are. They're way above the gods and they act like they're shoe-shiners to 'em. But, if that's how they want it...?" she trailed off with a shrug and Vados reassumed a neutral expression as she continued to watch the others.

"Swabbin' the deck...would'a been...a nightma'eh... in these!" Shoga exclaimed. "Or just...cuttin' meat in 'em...in the kitchen...right?" She playfully jabbed Nori in the side, who nearly fell, in surprise, but managed to regain her balance. She gave her ex-shipmate a weak glare, who chuckled at it, as it was the best she could do.

"No messing...around!" Kayen reprimanded Shoga, between breaths, looking over to their side, as she was doing the exercises herself, not noticing that Pinch got a mischievous smirk, left her spot and was creeping up on the side towards her. She turned and stopped when she saw her getting close, just barely at jogging speed and Kayen's eyes widened. "What are you...?" Pinch maniacally laughed, putting all effort in advancing on her and tackled her to the ground by the waist. The others stopped to stare. After a few seconds of watching the two, Kurogo got a smirk on her face. She went and piled on top of Pinch and Kayen.

"Hey!" They both exclaimed, pressured by the added weight. Kayen was having a harder time, since she had two people on herself and struggled under them.

"Get...off!" she tried to push them. All three of them let out a groan and they looked to see Shoga had joined them. Kayen was being crushed by the three suits. Pinch was painfully laughing to herself, as her position was only marginally less uncomfortable. Shirogo shook her head, with a small smile. Perille patiently waited for them and Nori looked like she felt sorry for Kayen. Caulifla and Kale turned from their fight when they heard the commotion and Vados expressionlessly looked on as the four of them kept squirming. Kayen tried to move, gritting her teeth and was getting red in the face from all the effort, until she had enough. She growled and her eyes turned green.

"Uh-..." Kurogo saw it and panicked, knowing what was coming.

"HAHHHH!" Kayen yelled, turning Super Saiyan and a yellow flare of energy erupted, sending Shoga, Kurogo and Pinch flying through the air. They all ended up embedded several feet in the ground, upon landing with a loud thud and groan. Kayen panted and sat up, looking around her.

"That was fun..." Kayen turned as Kurogo's more satisfied than sorry voice came from one of the holes.

"Aye!" Shoga's voice made her turn to the other side.

"He-he!" Pinch's mocking laugh came from the hole behind Kayen, who followed it with a turn of her head as she pulled herself to her feet.

"What was even the point of that!?" Kayen yelled at her.

"That!" Pinch stated and it was not difficult for Kayen to understand she just wanted her to get worked up over it.

"You need to loosen up!" Kurogo added.

"How is crushing me loosening me up?" Kayen argued.

"We're tenderizin' the meat!" Shoga exclaimed. "We could all pound ya in a fight, if that's how you'd like it!" she offered.

"Heck yeah!" Pinch agreed and a flash of light kicked dirt into the air from the hole she crawled out of, as a Super Saiyan. Another explosion of light from the right and Kayen turned to see Kurogo hopped out and up to the ground, standing up, Super Saiyan, as well.

"I guess we're doing this, then!" she said. A third flare-up and Shoga joined from the left, bouncing from one foot to the other, with the suit flabbing around, as it was no longer weighing them down. She took up a fighting-pose, like a drunken sailor.

"Okay, back off, you three!" Kayen warned them. "This wasn't funny _before_. It's not funny now!"

"Who says we're not _serious_?" Pinch asked, giving a vicious grin and attacked, followed by Kurogo and Shoga. Kayen took to the air, almost as fast as she would have without all the weight. The three diagonally shot upwards to follow her. They kept chasing her around in the air and kept overtaking one another in the pursuit.

"They're really doing this..." Shirogo muttered, not surprised by her sister's involvement.

Shoga charged a red ball in her hand that she chucked near Kayen, exploding it like a grenade and it made the latter tumble to the side, drastically slowing her speed. Pinch growled like a small feline and curled up, then, kicked Kayen in the back with the soles of her boots, who grunted as she was pushed further out, but she suddenly stopped and was pulled down as Kurogo, having grabbed her by the ankles, threw her towards the ground. Kayen spun in the air, to face upwards, slowing her descent and quickly stopped, taking a second to assess her situation. Kurogo was diving on her, head-first, while Pinch rushed in, madly firing blasts at her and Shoga was making an arc to strike from below. Kayen figured she would reach her last, so before that happened, she flipped the script and with a burst of speed, flew towards Shoga, head towards the ground, body still facing upwards, looking at her upside down and Shoga was briefly caught off-guard by Kayen closing in on her. The latter threw her hands forward, with a round of energy blasts and as Shoga slowed, slightly dipping, to avoid them, Kayen did half a back-flip to get above her and drop-kicked Shoga in the back, sending her down.

She looked up to see the hail of blasts from Pinch as she and Kurogo were coming in, the latter barrel-rolling from one side of Pinch to the other, firing larger, semi-homing blasts. Kayen rolled and dove down like a fighter-plane, then, abruptly turned with a one-handed energy-wave that tore through both the bigger and smaller blasts, hitting Pinch and blew her out of the sky. Kurogo charged toward her, undeterred, still firing and Shoga was rapidly climbing back up, attacking from below, again. Kurogo was going to reach her first and Kayen made sure of it, as she narrowly avoided her blasts, slapping the last one down towards Shoga, delaying her just for a fraction of a second as she dodged under Kurogo's punch, grabbed her by the arm and threw her downwards into Shoga. Both let out a cry of pain as they smashed into each other and plummeted. Kayen could not rest as another hail of blasts came towards her from Pinch, who was gunning for her, growling with a singed face. Kayen flew after the still falling Kurogo and Shoga. She charged and slung a sizeable blast at the latter, keeping her away and caught up to the former, as Pinch's machinegun-like blasts came close to lining up with her. She grappled Kurogo, again, shoving her behind, into the line of fire that pelted her. Pinch stopped with her blasts, not wanting to hit her, as Kayen isolated Shoga, who just managed to stop herself. Kayen grabbed her from behind, reaching under her armpit with one arm and dragged her further down. Close to the ground, she let go of her, letting her crash into it and stopped above, as Kurogo and Pinch caught up with her, soon after.

"Didn't think you could be so ruthless!" Kurogo told her, sporting a few scorch marks and a small smirk as she came down on her, attempting a few punches, incensed, after being used as a shield. Pinch ricocheted from the ground, under Kurogo and head-butted Kayen in the jaw, dazing her and she lost her senses long enough to get nearly half-a-dozen hits to the stomach from Pinch. Kurogo leapt in the air above them, hands raised, holding a basketball-sized blast, as if she was doing a massive dunk and slammed it.

"Gah!" Pinch ducked back, for cover, in alarm, as she was nearly hit. Kayen regained her senses just in time to cross her forearms, but she was still blown back by the explosion, with a loud groan from the force of it.

"Are you nuts!?" Pinch whined.

"Now we're even!" Kurogo slyly smirked, as Shoga flew up behind her, having recovered, but her expression turned to surprise. She raised her head when Kayen charged through the smoke-screen from the explosion, passing her and Kurogo turned after her as Kayen kicked Shoga in the side, away some distance. Kurogo only noticed, then, Shoga was even back, as she followed Kayen's movements, who did a flip, twisting her way halfway through it and came down on her with an axe-kick, to which Kurogo failed to raised her arms in time to block.

"Ugh!" she let out a scream as it caught her in the right shoulder, sending her crashing down. Pinch was on the attack, as soon as Kurogo hit the ground, starting with a series of bicycle-kicks, driving it into Kayen's blocking arm, then, she unleashed a barrage of blasts from close range, keeping Kayen pinned, as both gritted their teeth from the effort. Considering they were in the middle of training, Kayen already exerted herself more than them and was still holding out. From the corner of her shielded eyes, she could see Shoga was trying to blind-side her from below, once more, flaring with energy, in the shape of a shark's fin, about to strike, with a wide-grin. A suspiciously slow homing-blast came arcing towards her, from where Kurogo had been, but Kayen turned her head further around to see she was already slightly above and behind her, at a small distance, with a potent, handball-sized blast pulsing in one hand she already had pulled back, ready for a throw. It was sure to hit Kayen, in her situation, along with whatever attack Shoga was making and Kayen was out of options. Annoyed and even angry, she mustered all the power she had, pulled her limbs up as she was getting hit by Pinch's fire and as Kurogo threw her ball and Shoga was nearly upon her, Kayen spread her limbs. "ENOUGH!" Her energy exploded blowing away the blasts and pushed all three of her attackers back, Shoga the most, who uncontrollably spun away, until she could stop herself and look, along with the others, who lowered the hands they shielded their eyes with to see Kayen basking in a golden, electrified glow, her hair completely spiked, as she ascended to Super Saiyan 2, from being pushed.

"Crap..." Pinch cursed, knowing their fun was over.

"Woah..." Kurogo whispered.

"There she glows." Shoga muttered, suddenly not too keen on fighting her, anymore.

Kayen heavily panted, barely realizing what she had accomplished and she looked at her slightly shaking hands. She clenched her fists and glanced to her sides, towards Kurogo and Shoga, then, finally at Pinch, leveling a glare at her and the latter nervously started backing away.

"O-okay...how about we call it a day, now?" she asked, reverting to normal and felt an immediate pull. "Huh!?" Her eyes widened. "Hwaaahhh!" And she plummeted, the weight of the suit having an effect on her, again. She hit the ground, creating a small rising pillar of dust and dirt. Kurogo and Shoga burst out laughing. Kayen could not really bring herself to it and shook her head with a frown, then, looked at herself, again.

"That ended well." Shirogo commented, with some relief. Kurogo and Shoga landed back on the ground, followed by Kayen.

"That was worth it, wasn't it?" Shoga smirked at her, unable to properly put her hands on her hips in the suit.

"Yeah, no need to thank us." Kurogo teased her and Kayen glowered at both of them. She exhaled and reverted to normal. Her tired muscles caused her knees to unexpectedly buckle and she fell on all fours, shakily, unable to support the weight she could previously jump around with. Her sweat dripped on the soil as beads of it dotted her face. Kurogo and Shoga started towards her, but she slowly managed to get on one knee, stood on one leg, then, on both of them.

With some effort Pinch dug herself out of the ground and managed to crawl to the surface and was able to stand, as well, when Vados floated above them.

"This may as well conclude your session, I believe." she stated and raised her staff. Its orb flashed, after which they found themselves without the fat-suits that have been summoned off of them.

"You could have done that earlier." Pinch tiredly muttered, complaining.

"About time one of you stepped it up." Caulifla somewhat condescendingly commented, hands on her hips. "A few more weeks and you'll be stronger than that dweeb Cabba!" she exclaimed. "Man, I can't wait to see his face when he finds out." she said to Kale. "We didn't even know about Super Saiyan, until he showed us and now we're way stronger than him. It'll be fun to fight more Saiyans who can keep up with us." she said with a challenging smirk, looking towards the others and Kale smiled, almost with the same expression, in anticipation. The orb on the staff started pulsing and they noticed it, as Vados looked at it. She flew back to the balcony, raised the staff and reopened the portal. Caulifla sighed. "Fun's over." she muttered and glanced at Kale. "Let's go." she told her with her enthusiasm gone and they flew towards the balcony. "Dunno why she even fights us, anymore." she said to herself.

"Will it not defeat the purpose of your fusion and consequently your training, if neither of you are at full strength?" Vados asked as they headed inside and Caulifla only gave her a shrug, before she entered, after Kale. Vados slightly raised a brow. She was beginning to find the secrecy somewhat annoying, but she followed instructions and sealed the dimension, her curiosity not peaked enough.

...

Krillin and 18 were sparring out in the backyard of their house, as Marron intently watched them, forgetting about her drawing, which also seemed to crudely depict figures fighting each other.

"He's not coming, this time, either, huh." Krillin stated, as he attacked, somewhat short of breath.

"No surprise there." 18 muttered, blocking, not tired, at all.

"Still...all of the universes owe him, big time...even if they don't really like showing it that much." Krillin said between breaths.

"17 doesn't care about that." 18 pointed out.

"No kidding." Krillin paused, before resuming his attack, purely for exercise. "For a second, back there...I thought he was really going to wish for a cruise. Heheh. Good thing he didn't! Or we would all be gone!" he exclaimed, being able to half laugh at it, now.

"We have to watch out for those weird brats. Who knows what they'll feel like doing this time." 18 noted.

"Hey, now you're starting to sound like Beranise." Krillin said. "Careful!" he cautioned her.

"Well, she's not wrong." 18 admitted as they carried on.

...

"Do you think they'll let us come with you?" Videl was asking Gohan over dinner.

"I'm not sure. Whis said that if we have to get permission from a Destroyer, Lord Beerus will give us his. And Beranise will probably have something to say about it." Gohan replied.

"Pan would be so happy to see both of you fight!" Videl sighed. "Gosh, I can't believe how normal that sounds, now! She's still just a baby and if everything else in her life wasn't amazing enough, already, she could watch beings from whole other universes fight." she gushed and Videl excitedly bounced in her chair.

"That's true, it's just..." Gohan went silent, more serious. "I'm not sure what Beranise is planning on doing...with the 9th Universe and all. I just don't want Pan seeing her...when she's in a bad place. And I'm sure she wouldn't want that, either." Videl and Pan looked downcast, for a moment.

"Well...maybe seeing Pan, again, will be good for her, then." Videl suggested and Pan agreed with a small cheer.

"It just might be." Gohan agreed, as well.

...

"So...should we even be worried, this time?" Bulma asked, with her laptop in her lap, as Trunks and Vegeta were lounging in front of the TV, in the evening, a rare moment where Vegeta was not training and he sat, arms folded. "It sounds like Beranise is going to hijack the entire thing to turn it into a court-hearing for those 9th Universe delinquents." she remarked.

"Hmph. She couldn't possibly be planning on fighting any of them. Even their god is weaker than us." Vegeta noted.

"Are they gonna get..._erased_, dad?" Trunks somewhat meekly asked, understanding what could possibly be their fate for their actions.

"We'll see." Vegeta said. "After how those two just erased every universe, in the tournament, it would be easy. They just might erase the entire 9th Universe, because of their god." he reckoned.

"Our universe won't be in trouble, then." Bulma understood with relief.

"Maybe. But, those Grand Zenos are dangerous. The gods fear them for a reason." Vegeta gravely said. "And all the Angels might act calm, but if they upset those two, they're in just as much danger as the gods or the universes. Everyone still has to tread carefully around them." he pointed out.

"Except Goku, right. Hehe." Bulma chuckled.

"Tch. That idiot thinks they're friends. But, he would've been erased just as easily as the others." Vegeta noted. "They made that clear at the first Exhibition Match and Beerus has to keep reminding him."

"Well, yeah. But, those were the stake, then." Bulma made the distinction. "I doubt _Goku_ can get on their bad-side, even if he _is_...himself." Vegeta only groaned at that.

...

In the moonless, cloudless night sky, Chi-Chi walked out to the back of their house, where Goku, fully clothed, was doing stretches and hopping around, as if he was warming up.

"Goku! _What_ are you doing? Come to bed, already!" she tried to tell him.

"Oh! Uh...sorry, Chi-Chi!" he briefly stopped, but could not help himself. "I'm just so excited! I can't wait to fight Jiren, again! And some friendly competition with everyone else, this time, is going to be fun!" he clenched his raised fists in front of himself, with a smile.

"You told me it might not even be a proper tournament, remember? That Beranise only told Whis to tell everyone else that, so those criminals won't see it coming when you finally catch them." she reminded him.

"Sure! But, how long could _that_ take?" Goku shrugged, not dismayed, at all. "We'll have plenty of time for a _few_ fights, at least!" He smiled to himself and Chi-Chi sighed.

...

The two Zenos were just as excited as they sat on their twin-thrones, fists balled on their armrests, as the Grand Priest stood in front of them.

"Sires, the time has almost arrived!" he almost beamed, leaning forward. "In just a few more ticks, you will most certainly be treated to the same spectacle you have witnessed at the Tournament of Power!" The Zenos tilted their heads in confusion.

"Wait...it's going to be the same?" one asked. "But...we already saw it, then." he said.

"Yes. We already watched it, if it's the same, didn't we?" The other asked.

"My apologies..." The Grand Priest corrected himself. "What I meant was, you will certainly going to see fights just as amazing as those you have previously enjoyed. Possibly even better." The Zenos child-like smiles immediately returned, along with their excitement

"Even better, he said!" One repeated.

"Even better!" The other giddily laughed, then, they both started to, turning towards each other, as all around the cosmos, the fighters were either laying their heads to rest or were still training, preparing for the next day. In the 6th Universe, Vados opened the dimension, from which Caulifla and Kale emerged, followed by Beranise, who wordlessly passed her, heading towards her quarters, visibly unchanged, but definitely ready, after another exclusive training.

_With both excitement and dread, the universes were all waiting for the upcoming event, as their warriors prepared. And even in these nerve-wrecking moments, the Saiyans were growing stronger. Kayen reached Super Saiyan 2, while Beranise had been staying in her imperfect Ultra Instinct state, for days as she used every passing minute to improve. But, what exactly is she planning to do, at the Exhibition Match? How will she present their case against the 9__th__ Universe? And how will the Grand Zenos and the Grand Priest feel, when they find out the real reason for the event? The Court will be in session! Next time, on Dragon Ball Super!_


	20. Episode 19

**Episode 19 **

**Arraignment **

The sun had barely risen to dare peek through the arches of the wide windows and inside Beranise's quarters, where the latter was still in her bed, sleeping, lying on her stomach with her left hand at her side and her right pulled up in front of her face, still in her perfected imperfect Ultra Instinct form, as her hair was partially standing up, half of it slumped on the sheets.

In a still darkened corner of the room, Vados stood, staff in hand, observing her and got a slight, coy smile as she raised her free palm, in front of herself, pointing it towards Beranise, then, released a small, weaker, yellow energy blast that was slapped to the side, blowing a hole into the wall, on the entrance's side. Beranise was already sitting with her right hand raised that she used to deflect it and glowered at Vados, who put her hand behind her back.

"Your early morning wake-up…as you have requested." Vados stated. "Good morning." she greeted her, more amused than enthused. Beranise's eyes moved to the damage and she threw her blanket off to get on her feet, in her black shorts and bra.

"Patch that." she muttered, walking towards the door and Vados watched her for a brief second.

"Breakfast is ready." she announced.

"Good." Beranise replied, as she left the room, leaving Vados to do the repairs, who appeared to give a small, inaudible sigh, before she raised her staff to quickly restore the wall.

Beranise was passing through the hall where the other quarters were, when a door opened, up a head, from which Kayen was stepping out, before she noticed her and froze, almost standing at attention.

"Ma'am!" she exclaimed, surprised as she could not sense her, as Beranise already passed her.

"Heard you got to Super Saiyan 2, yesterday." Beranise said, to her further surprise, without looking. "Good job." she told her and moved on, not even complaining about how she addressed her, again.

"Um…t-thank…you…" Kayen slowly said, trailing off, with a slight blush, as Beranise was already out of earshot, but she was actually happy their mentor knew about her progress, despite her recent attitude.

Perille came out of her room, looking down the hall to see Beranise's retreating form, then, in the other direction to see Kayen and they both followed her, heading towards the dining room, as none of the others seemed to be getting up, yet.

"Shouldn't we wait for everyone?" Kale's voice was coming from inside, where she and Caulifla were already settled.

"First come, first serve!" Caulifla exclaimed, with a roasted slab of meat stabbed on her fork that she tore a bite from.

"Since when are you an early bird?" Beranise asked as she entered, making them slightly jump.

"I get up whenever I want." Caulifla defiantly said.

"Except when you get up whenever I tell you to." Beranise corrected her and Caulifla frowned, unable to argue with how things have been for the past few weeks.

"At least, we're both a lot stronger, now." Kale pointed, partially to calm Caulifla, coaxing her to smile with her and she did.

"Right." Caulifla agreed, looking at her. "So, what's yer plan, anyway?" she looked back at Beranise, who sat down. "You really think you can-…" she stopped to ask as Kayen and Perille walked in. The room fell silent.

"Morning." Kayen looked at Caulifla and Kale. Perille just nodded with a passive face.

"Well, if it isn't the new Super Saiyan 2." Caulifla acknowledged Kayen. "You know, I don't get something." she said, leaning forward, holding the fork with the meat, hand on the table. "Cabba told us to feel for some tingle in the back to transform." she pointed with her free hand. "Then it turned out getting all angry works even better. But, then, how does _she_ turn Super Saiyan?" she pointed at Perille, who barely lifted a brow as Kayen blinked at the question, glancing at the subject of it. "She's like…I dunno… the only person I can think of who acts like her is…Hit." Caulilfa shrugged. "All _stoic_ and stuff." she leaned back in her chair. Kale and Kayen were equally dumbfounded by the question, as neither of them even considered how someone even-keeled, like Perille, could even trigger her power.

"After your first time, the rest don't really need any raw feelings to bring you over the edge." Beranise spoke and they all turned to her. "It can help, sure. Like with Cabba. And your Super Saiyan 3." she told Caulifla. "But, all you really need is training so you can learn to tap into more power, once you can turn Super Saiyan." she explained. "At least, that's how it was for me and the other Saiyans from _our_ universe." she leaned back. "Yours are different. Getting you all to transform was easier. Perille didn't really need any more push than the rest. And she screamed just as much, the first-time." Beranise noted, flipping with a hand and leaned forward to take a drum-stick with it. Caulifla raised a brow at the comment.

"Huh. More than she did her whole life, I bet." she looked at Perille, whose expression did not change.

"Anger isn't the only thing that can push you over, by the way." Beranise added, after she took a bite and they looked back at her. "I got to Super Saiyan 4 with the opposite, actually. And _this_…" she thumbed at herself, indicating her current state. "Needs a level head, too. More or less." she said.

"Well, yeah." Caulifla recalled, folding her arms. "In the re-run we watched, you weren't exactly all calm and collected, when you busted out of that other place…" Vados walked in, at that moment. "And attacked _her_." Caulifla added, nodding at Vados, who raised a brow.

…

On the balcony of Capsule Corp HQ, all of the Z-fighters, some of their families and friends, who were there to see them off and the Supreme Kai, along with Old Kai and Kibito, were gathered around Whis and Beerus. The latter stood with his arms folded.

"Everyone who had participated in the Tournament of Power is present, except for Frieza and Android 17, of course. Seeing as it was not an issue last time, it should not cause any _now_." he stated. "Are we all ready, then?"

"So…about…" Gohan started to speak, but Beerus cut him off.

"Yes, your wife and daughter can come!" he impatiently told him and Gohan slightly recoiled. "Now, let's leave, before we're late!" Beerus urged Whis, as Pan cheered in Videl's arms, who stood close to Gohan.

"One may argue our other Saiyan toddler is too young to witness such an event, but something tells me she would insist, if she could." Whis smiled at Bulla in Bulma's arms, who rocked her, giving her a smile and looked at Whis.

"Maybe next time." Bulma said.

"Don't say _that_!" Beerus almost panicked, leaning towards her. "You want the Omni-Kings to keep having tournaments where we could all be erased!?" His eyes comically bulged at her, from worry.

"That won't happen, when we keep beating the others." Vegeta confidently told him, arms folded and Beerus backed off, internally, but not outwardly, admitting he could more than rely on their new strength to ensure their survival, should the stakes be the same.

"We still have no idea what Beranise is actually planning to do." Gohan reminded them.

"Well, if we do get to fight, are you ready, Master Roshi?" Tien asked their eldest member.

"Don't worry, I still have a few lessons in me, boys!" he nodded.

"Oh! Hey…uh…" Krillin had an idea and whispered something to 18, who briefly seemed to be deliberating, before she nodded. "Uh, Lord Beerus…" he carefully started.

"Yes, what it is, now!?" Beerus nearly growled.

"Um, eh…could we…18 and I…do you think we could bring _our _daughter along, too?" he asked, to the surprise of the others and Marron excitedly smiled.

"Really?" Bulma asked and looked at 18. "I didn't think you'd want her to grow up with all of that?"

"Well…it's not for either of us to decide what she likes…and what she wants to be." 18 shrugged and placed a hand on her daughter's head, who smiled up at her.

"Fine!" Beerus let it. "Just let's go, already!" he yelled, turning to Whis.

"Right away, My Lord!" Whis replied, as Krillin and 18 stood close to Gohan and Videl. Pan and Marron happily smiled at each other, as they were about to go on an adventure.

"You won't need luck, I guess." Bulma told Vegeta, who smiled to himself, then, exchanged one with his daughter and son, nodding to them, before he moved to stand closer to the others.

"Off we go, then." Whis stated. "Grand Priest, Sir, we are ready to join you." he spoke to his father and they were instantly teleported away, summoned to the Omni-Kings' Palace.

…

Upon arriving, they were surprised to find themselves not in the dark, infinite void with the glowing floor and rows of pillars showing them the way, but on the floating spectator platforms, looking down at a seemingly different, rectangular arena, in the same space they held the First Exhibition Match. Supporting pillars were spaced far from one another, all around them and there were several large screens, above the ring, forming a circle, facing towards the spectators, as if they were in a stadium. All around them, the fighters, Gods, Attendants and Supreme Kais of the other universes were grouped and glancing around, in a similar fashion as their platforms descended and formed a circle around the ring. Those from the 7th, in particular, noticed the 6th Universe had almost twice the presence, as seven women stood behind their warriors, all in the same armor as Cabba. Also, none of the other Gods or the warriors they brought failed to notice the changes in the new Destroyer of the 6th Universe, since they last saw her. Sidra and Roh glared at her, annoyed by the power they thought she was flaunting, as they could not actually feel it. Heles regarded her with amazement she could mostly keep from showing, as she already experienced what she was capable of, first-hand. Velmod had a frown, along with Khai, as Beranise's appearance looked all too familiar and so was the emotions it stirred for them and Jiren, as well, who narrowed his eyes at yet another who possessed power that could rival and surpass his.

"That Saiyan woman…" Toppo acknowledged, out loud, what the rest of them did not.

"Just how many fighters did she bring? That's cheating, already." Quitela muttered.

"Are those the Saiyan girls she mentioned?" Roshi perked up, as a martial artists and as his old self.

"Master…" Tien cautioned him.

"I know, I know." Roshi waved.

"They gotta be up to the task, if Beranise brought them along." Gohan reasoned.

The Grand Priest stood on his own personal platform and waited for everyone to get in their places, before turning around to welcome the Zenos, who were teleported in, sitting on their thrones, flanked by their spindly bodyguards. Everyone bowed and kneeled, greeting the Omni-Kings, in unison, except for Beranise, who remained silent as her head was down. All straightened up and the Grand Priest faced them.

"Greetings to all…!" The Grand Priest addressed them. "It is with great pleasure our Grand Leaders and myself welcome everyone at the Second Grand Exhibition Match!" he spread his hands out. "You have all been made aware of the circumstances that have led to the event being hosted in a, shall we say, impromptu fashion." Everyone, some begrudgingly, glanced over to the 6th Universe's platform, at Beranise, who stood with her arms folded. "That is not say, we have not done the necessary preparations." The Grand Priest continued. "As you have noticed, certain changes have been made, particularly to the ring, since the First Exhibition Match. Learning from the Tournament of Power, it has been rebuilt from reinforced Kachi Katchin to be even more durable than the one all of you have previously fought on. Also, if you look above…" he indicated. "You can see we have monitors, through which anyone who may have trouble following the action can watch it all at a slower speed that should be comfortable for all. And now to properly start us off, the person whose excellent idea it was to have this event, much to the delight of our Grand Leaders, shall take center stage in this new ring to give a few opening words of their own." he turned to Beranise. "Destroyer of the 6th Universe, Lord Beranise…" he gestured at the spot where he was, as he floated closer to the Zenos. "If you would." he beckoned her. Beranise unfolded her arms and flew down to stand in the middle of the ring. "I am certain most, if not all, here, have been wondering, ever since it was announced, what your reasons were for requesting the Exhibition Match, in the first place." Everyone remained silent, though their expressions said they were demanding an answer, which the Grand Priest noticed. "Let me repeat that our Grand Leaders were positively elated by the promises such an event entailed. But, they themselves are also curious why you had suggested it." he noted.

"Yes!" one Zeno exclaimed. "Tell us!"

"Tell us why!" the other urged her.

"Well, for starters…" Beranise spoke.

"Bewaaa!" Her eyes widened.

"Pan!" Videl yelled after her as she flew out of her hands and down to Beranise, almost looking like a starfish, in her pink pajamas, that someone threw at Beranise's head, who turned, just as Pan firmly attached herself to the side of her face, hugging her.

"Bewa!" she gleefully rubbed her cheeks and Videl somewhat worriedly looked on, for how Beranise would respond, as everyone else quietly stared at the adorable interruption. Pan pulled her head back to look at Beranise, whose cold expression unusually softened as she smiled, her silver-eyes losing their piercing edge. None of the other universes had seen this side of her, especially the Seven, Caulifla and Kale, who all came to know her very differently.

"Hey, you." she whispered to Pan and took hold of her. Pan giggled, blinked up at her hair and grabbed two of her bangs to play with and Videl relaxed, along with Gohan, smiling at the scene. "You still have a thing for hair, huh." Beranise noted. Warriors from the 2nd Universe tried to contain their reaction and keep themselves from melting, while the more serious, rougher individuals from the other universes impatiently tapped their fingers on their folded arms or their feet on the ground. The 7th smiled, with the exception of Beerus and even the Grand Priest had a slightly amused look, but, then, he quietly cleared his throat to get the event back on track, making Beranise and Pan glance up at him. Beranise turned back to her. "I'm gonna have a big fight, soon…" she whispered and Pan got excited, as all Namekians, Beerus, Quitela and everyone else with sensitive ears perked up in alarm. "And I'm gonna need _you_ to keep your mom safe. Okay?" she told her and Pan got a determined look. She firmly nodded. "Go!" Beranise released her and Pan flew back to Videl, stopping in front of her. She turned around to face outwards and flared up, raising her small fists, ready for a fight, surprising her mother and certain others.

"T-this cannot be…!" Roh quietly hissed. "Even their _toddlers_ are this powerful." he pulled at his own face with his hands. The Zenos seemed intrigued.

"Wow! Who is that?" One asked.

"Yes! She's strong!" The other added.

"According to my information, she is the offspring of the half-Saiyan, half-human son of Goku and a human woman from the 7th's Universe's Earth." The Grand Priest explained.

"Wow! Her dad is Goku's son!"

"Goku's son is strong, too!" The Zenos each commented and the Grand Priest lightly chuckled.

"It seems to…run in the family, as they say." he remarked with a smile. "Now, then…" he turned to Beranise. "Back to where we have left off. Please, continue, Lord Beranise! Let us here the purpose of this Exhibition Match." he told her and Beranise's mood shifted back.

"The _purpose_…" Beranise mockingly repeated the word. "Is that this _won't be_ an Exhibition Match." The Grand Priest raised his gaze, along most of the others. "Actually…" Beranise reconsidered. "It might still be. But, only between me…" she turned towards her target. "And the 9th Universe." she directed her glare at Sidra, Roh and Mojito. "Who tried to kill people from the 7th _twice now_!" Roh and Sidra recoiled in shock. "The first time was before the tournament. The mercenaries Goku and Frieza ran into were from the 9th. And a few days ago, a guy named Cell, who had been dead for years, was revived by their Angel and sent to kill Goku and the rest. And before you even ask, we have a dragon's word as proof, plus whatever those staffs can show." The Grand Priest suspiciously turned towards the accused, who had been revealed and since Beranise made it clear she already had more than enough proof, they had no excuses, no alibies and nowhere to hide, nothing to do but to quake in fear. The Grand Priest's eyes moved to his own offspring, who was silent, his expression completely guiltless.

"Mojito…is this true?" The Grand Priest asked. Roh and Sidra panickingly looked at him, knowing he was obligated to confirm it.

"It is, Sir." Mojito nodded.

"I see." The Grand Priest had a stern look. "Then we are long past mere accusations, it seems."

"You knew they were gonna fail and what they'd get for it…" Beranise spoke and they turned to her. "But you still went along with their plan. You even went to Hell and revived Cell for them, yourself." Beranise pointed out. "I wonder why?" she rhetorically asked, folding her arms. "Maybe because you were hoping they'd get erased, again. Since, the last time didn't stick. And out of all you Angels, _you_ looked pretty glad to be rid of them, at the tournament." Roh and Sidra looked at Mojito in surprise, suddenly feeling betrayed. "We can re-watch _that_, too, if you want. I'm sure the _god _you're serving'll be interested to know how much you really care about them." They kept glaring at Mojito with a mix of fear and anger, but he did not seem bothered. "With _that_ said, I'd challenge the pointy-eared dwarf with the beard, there, to a fight, but at this point, he wouldn't be much of a _challenge_." she condescendingly told Sidra, whose glare did not hide his own doubts about himself.

"Then how about you fight _me_, instead." Beerus calmly spoke to everyone's surprise, hands behind his back, as he stepped forward. "I still owe you for killing my brother. Besides that, I wish to see just how strong you are, for myself. Both are reason enough." he stated. "If you can beat me, you can destroy them. And if I win, I'll do it myself." All of the people from the 9th rippled in fear at Beerus' unmerciful conditions.

"Do you wish to challenge Lord Beranise, then, Lord Beerus?" The Grand Priest asked.

"Yes, Sir." Beerus nodded in affirmative. "With the Grand Leaders' and your permission, of course." he quickly did a bow and the Grand Priest turned to the Zenos, who exchanged looks with each other.

"Okay!" they said, in unison.

"You can fight!" One said.

"Yes, fight!" The other enthusiastically added.

"It is permitted, then." the Grand Priest said. "Since you are fighting on behalf of the 9th Universe, the conditions you have proposed are hereby accepted." he stated to the further terror of the 9th.

"We're…doomed." Roh whispered, falling on his knees. "We're dead, either way." he whimpered and Sidra lowered his head, as their warriors were feeling they were at death's door, already.

"How about only their god and their Supreme Kai?" Beranise asked and the 9th's warriors raised their heads, along with a gaping Roh and Sidra, amidst surprised whispered that she would spare the rest. Beerus briefly gave it some thought, glancing at all the people from the 9th Universe, who were holding their breaths, waiting for his words.

"Very well." he agreed, turning back to Beranise. "Whichever one of us wins will decide their fate." he reconsidered and with the exception of Roh and Sidra, the members of the 9th sighed in relief. Beerus flew down to the ring, some distance from her.

"So, was _this_ her plan?" Krillin asked.

"Considering she already killed a god, she probably wouldn't have had a problem eliminating them on her own and without an audience." Piccolo stated.

"Did she simply want to test her power against whoever would fight her?" Supreme Kai wondered.

"It seems she also wanted to earn the privilege of deciding the fate of the 9th Universe and its God." Kibito said.

"A rather fair approach, I must say." Whis noted with some pleasant surprise.

"But…their God and Supreme Kai are going to die, either way." Tien pointed out.

"Perhaps." Whis was not yet convinced it would turn out like that.

"All we can do is wait and see." Gohan accepted and his father nodded in agreement. Down in the ring, Beerus faced Beranise, who turned towards him as the spectators fell silent. Beerus assumed a stance, with it silently stating he was taking the fight and Beranise seriously enough and the latter unfolded her arms, keeping her fists halfway raised at her side. Long seconds have passed as they stared each other down.

"Bewa!" Pan squealed. "Be-wa! Be-wa! Be-wa!" she chanted, shaking her fists, still floating, with a white aura surrounding her. Everyone expectantly looked on. Roh and Sidra's eyes wavered. Neither of them were even able to swallow, as their throats were already dry and the only thing they could have possibly drank was their own running sweat. The Grand Priest raised one hand, the other behind his back and waited for a few more seconds. The Zenos already had their tablets in hand to watch the instant slow-motion replays.

"Begin!" came the signal and before his hand even stopped moving, both fighters flickered in and out of view, closing in on each other. After a series of shockwaves from them hitting each other, as Beranise drove Beerus out of the center and towards the side, she suddenly brought a fists across his face. He immediately made several dashes around her, to find an opening he could return the damage through, but was blocked and rebuffed by an elbow strike, followed by a trail of colors from the different parts of Beranise's body, as she zipped, seemingly stretching through the fabric of space, with a backhanded punch to Beerus' face, again, who staggered back, before he flipped further away to get some distance, looking slightly annoyed. He glowed with the ominous, dark purple aura of his Power of Destruction, as he tapped into more of it and shot forward, unleashing a series of melee attacks, limbs flying towards and sweeping above, below and beside Beranise, seemingly faster than before. The others watched with nearly abated breathes, all the Destroyers looking even more closely at the reaction-times of both fighters and the Zenos were glued to their tablets. Beerus' aura deepened and the very air shifted around the entire boundless room, as his movements further hastened and the power behind all of his attempted attacks became more focused and potent, evidenced by the cracks and splintered surface of the reinforced ring that he kept damaging with every punch and kick, as he was soon tearing off larger chunks with every miss. After long seconds of the unrelenting, but ineffective attack, it was apparent, to all, that nothing had changed for Beerus, as Beranise kept blocking and avoiding his assault. In a fraction of a second, without any warning sings, she kicked the leg he was bringing forward back, partially tripping him towards her and with her other leg, kneed him in the face, stopping him. Beerus' bruised, bleeding nose practically accentuated the grimace the rest of his face contorted into and he snarled.

"Whis…how much of his power is Lord Beerus using right now?" Gohan asked and Whis was silent for a moment, as he kept observing, with a serious expression, then, answered without looking away.

"All of it." he stated to their surprise and Gohan glanced at Beerus to see he was, indeed, already at the end of his patience with Beranise, as he was seemingly unable to do anything more against her.

"He can still use Ultra Instinct, though, can't he?" Gohan understood he still had something considerable to bring and Beerus' eyes actually flicked to him, as he overheard him, before they fixated on Beranise, once more and Gohan watched him close his eyes and take a deep breath. All the Gods slightly lifted their gaze as the fight was entering a new stage. Beerus opened his eyes, the normally black pupils of which were glowing white and he started moving more fluidly, flowing within a current that his body was autonomously reacting to, without any conscious thought from his mind. And the fight suddenly became more even. He was consistently hitting Beranise's blocking limbs with every attack, whose counters were just as fast, but less successful, as Beerus himself was able to rapidly guard against her responses. They both twisted and spun around or away from each other's attacks and even the counter-attacks, meeting blow to blow and block to block, while they flashed around the ring and in the air, moving to all four corners, then, back to the middle.

"Looks like he made a come-back." Gohan commented.

"I can't even see anything." Krillin muttered and kept looking up at the screens for help. "I hope they have insurance for those things." he quipped, expecting some damage will be done to them.

"They seem to be fighting equally, now." Liquir commented, arms folded.

"It won't last." Heles quietly spoke and all within earshot or with better hearing, turned to her. She spoke from experience as she kept her eyes more on Beranise. "He will lose." she stated. "First that state. And then the fight." she noted and could not be sure whether or not Beerus could even hear her in the state he was in, as he normally would have.

"Lord Heles may be correct." Khai of the 11th Universe observed, as well. "That Saiyan woman had been in that state since the start. It is obvious she had attained a level of mastery, even if it still is an imperfect form. Yet, it is apparently more than enough to allow her to hold her own in this fight."

It was then they began to notice that either Beranise's responses were getting better or Beerus' were faltering, but a gap started to appear and grow between them. Beerus gritted his teeth, narrowing his glowing eyes, as he was losing control, while Beranise remained unfazed, showing no sign of the same or even exhaustion. Steadily, but in even less than a minute Beranise was clearly outmaneuvering him.

"It won't be long, now." Heles said as Beerus was pushing himself to maintain form, even as his eyes kept flickering back and forth, at which point he knew he could not keep it together, anymore and Beranise was suddenly behind him, twisting around with a knee in the side of his face, from his blindside that sent him skidding along the floor of the ring that he tore a shallow canal into with his feet as he slid to a halt and fell on one knee, sweating from the toll his body took, as Beranise stood, same as she did at the start. She let her hands down to her side.

"You're done." she stated and Beerus growled, his eyes twitching, even though he clearly did not expect an easy victory, but, then, neither did he think he would be defeated so soundly. "You know you can't keep using Ultra Instinct and _I_ could go all day." she said and Beerus' growl faded to a deep frown, as her words, though angering and hard to accept, were true. "You gave me a better test-run than _he_ would have." she glanced with a nod at Sidra. "But, neither of you were the one I planned to fight." she added and Beerus' frown vanished as he raised a brow, along with everyone else. "He was." Beranise looked directly at Mojito, who looked mildly surprised. "You…!" Beranise raised her voice. "Take his place!" she ordered him and Beerus gaped at her, as did the other Gods and warriors.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Beerus said. "You can't seriously think you can fight one of them!"

"Shut up and hit the bench!" Beranise told him and Beerus' face twitched into a frown, again.

"You're a fool." he muttered as he turned and slowly took the air. Beranise looked at Mojito, still up on their universe's platform.

"What're you waiting for?" she asked and Mojito slightly bowed, with an amused smile.

"Yes, of course! My apologies!" he said and descended. He landed and calmly stood across from her, one staff in hand, the other behind his back.

"Has she lost it?" Krillin asked, as they were all baffled.

"She can't seriously think she can challenge one of the Attendants." Supreme Kai said. Gohan, Goku and Vegeta, as well as Heles, in particular, were all looking at Beranise's face for any signs of uncertainty, but there were none.

"She cannot possibly hope to win." Vados had a small smile.

"Madness." Toppo quietly said. "She is far too eager to prove her strength and cannot see the limits she has."

"Indeed." Khai agreed. "Fighting a Destroyer evenly, as impressive as it is, still does not compare."

"_Definitely_." Velmod admitted, arms folded, without shame, smiling at Marcarita, who returned it.

"You liked stringing along the others and you knew you weren't going to get anything for it." Beranise said to Mojito. "Even if you did something worse than break someone out of Hell to have them kill people, you'd never get punished for it, 'cause you were just obeying orders. Even if all of you're just pretending to be loyal servants." she remarked. "But, I'm gonna make sure you get what you deserve. And since your dear dad would never punish you, _I_ will!"

"It would be completely futile of me to ask that you reconsider, would it not?" Mojito asked.

"Oh, I **have** _reconsidered_." Beranise stated and he expectantly looked at her, along with everyone. "If you win, the 9th Universe can disappear…" she started and many eyes, even those of the angels, widened in shock and Mojito did find her proposal strange, but no more than those who it would affect. "But, if you lose, they _all_ get to stay and _you_ can go back to serving and living with them, every day, since you're so fond of them." Beranise declared and it actually made Mojito's faint smile fade at the mere possibility, as impossible as he thought it was, that he would have to return to serving the 9th.

"Lord Beranise…" The Grand Priest spoke. "Am I to understand, then, you have not misspoken and those are your conditions? That the 9th Universe is to be erased if _Mojito_ is actually not the loser, but the victor of the fight?" he asked for conformation, after the unusual and unexpected alteration.

"Yeah." Beranise said and everyone kept gaping and staring at her, none more so than those of the 9th universe, whose existence was, again, completely at risk of coming to an abrupt end. Their fate was in the hands of Beranise, who assumed a similar pose to what she did against Beerus, standing slightly sideways, with a wider stance, fists raised at her sides, as she faced down an Angel.

_Just when the shady, but still blameless warriors of the 9__th__ Universe could breathe easy, again, Beranise revealed her true intentions to fight the Angel, Mojito, making the conditions even worse than Beerus did. With the 9__th__ Universe's entire existence staked not on Beranise's, but on Mojito's victory, no one had any hope left they would survive. Has Beranise really become so powerful she truly believes she can win and spear the entire 9__th__ Universe, despite what Sidra and Roh have done? And will Mojito even take their fight seriously? See how far Beranise's training took her, when the moment of truth arrives, on the next Dragon Ball Super! _


	21. Episode 20

**Episode 20 - Mercury**

Tension itself could not decide whether it was palpable or not, as even though everyone, apart from the Angels, was unsure and nervous, they were also full of doubt and did not find themselves tense. What Beranise was doing, apart from it appearing utterly futile and foolish, was impossible, in the eyes of most, if not all, except for, perhaps, her fellow Saiyans, who had to wonder if she had any reason to believe she could actually succeed. Mojito was as unperturbed as the rest of his kin, as he stood with the same, subtly patronizing expression, as if he was merely taking pity on Beranise by indulging her. The Grand Priest silently floated slightly closer, remaining at the same distance from both of them and glanced from one to the other. He briefly closed his eyes, before he raised his hand to signal the start and everyone looked on, most of them certain of the outcome, but still curious to witness such a fight.

"Begin!" exclaimed the Grand Priest, bringing his hand midway down, again, but neither Beranise, nor Mojito moved. The former turned and took a step towards him and with a speed she had not shown before, closed in, appearing next to him. Mojito almost casually turned, having no difficulties following her movements, even as Beranise immediately vanished to get behind him, to where he swiftly turned, stopping a left-fist from her with the palm of his free hand. Beranise was turning inwards with her punch and he raised his palm to face-level, blocking the left foot Beranise swept above him, with a spin-kick she already did, right after her first attack and with the sole of her right foot, from a reverse turning kick - her third attack in the same fraction of time - already stopped by Mojito's hand, who briefly appeared genuinely surprised by the swiftness of her attacks that all seemed to flow into one.

He actually found himself having to move faster than he expected to properly guard against her assault as Beranise flipped and flashed around him, delivering a series of fist and elbow strikes, coupled with feet and knees, all made as fast as those observing could blink, except they did not. They stared, being able to follow the fight even less than the one before it, which seemed to irk Beerus. Mojito still unworriedly retreated some distance, to have a pause, but found he would have none, as Beranise followed to keep the growing pressure on him, which, to his further surprise, he could admit to feeling and a hint of unintentional amusement, not even of the mocking kind, shown on his face, as he possibly never fought a mortal, not even a Destroyer, in-training or fully-fledged, who pressed him the way Beranise had started to. He made a retreat, again, starting to actually regard his challenger with less condescension and exchanged a glance with Vados, giving her a slight, approving smile, which the latter saw, before he had to defend himself, this time, using his staff to block and bat away even faster and stronger attacks that made his eyes briefly widened. His own body was reacting autonomously to it all, of course, but that did not mean he could not feel the added effort he was unconsciously making.

"Unbelievable…" Supreme Kai exclaimed. "She is showing even _more _power!"

"I can barely see what's going on." Goku stated, serious and slightly shaking from the excitement. "She's definitely increased both her speed _and_ her strength. Even more than she was using against Lord Beerus, for sure." he added and Beerus growled, glaring from him down at Beranise, who was making Mojito move all around the ring, to all corners, on the ground and in the air.

"This is incredible…" Cabba stared in awe, next to Hit. "No wonder she easily won against Lord Beerus." he whispered, but Beerus still heard it and snarled their way.

"Her attacks had been growing faster and stronger, little by little, when they fought." Hit stated. "But, now…she had increased both more quickly and in larger amounts." he analyzed and Beerus, having overheard, suddenly had an uncertain look about him.

"So, does that mean Lord Beerus wasn't the one who was getting weaker, then?" Gohan asked, after his father's comment and Beerus was starting to doubt it, as well.

"No, Lord Beerus _was_ losing control…" Whis pointed out and Beerus' eye twitched from annoyance. "But, at the same time, _she_ was subtly making more effort. Probably, so the difference between them would not be too obvious." he added and Beerus growled at that, realizing Beranise had essentially been toying with him, even if that was not her intention. Suddenly, Beranise made a quick dive, appearing to move downward, but already came back up, with the white shockwaves from the impacts of her series of attack flashing closer to Mojito, who deflected the first few with her hands and staff, but was, then, forced to use his right knee, which he pulled up to block Beranise's own. Everyone, even his fellow Angels were slightly alarmed and more than surprised, most of all Mojito, himself, that someone, besides his sibling, actually made him use all of his limbs. His almost startled eyes locked with Beranise's and they rebuffed each other, both pushing off from their knee.

"Uh!" Beerus made a sound of shock. Vegeta and Gohan slightly gaped.

"Woah!" Goku exclaimed, as all of the others, who could only see the end result of that scuffle, were stunned. The Zenos were nearly shoving their whole head into the tablets, as the Grand Priest, in front of them, slightly raised his head, not showing the same surprise as his children. Vados slightly narrowed her eyes, as she was visibly beginning to feel concerned. The Gods and their Attendants could all feel the fight, to their utter bewilderment, had entered into another stage none were expecting and neither were they given the time to process all of it, as Beranise narrowed her eyes, charging forward and she was back on the attack, with Mojito, now, fully on the defense, hands, staff and feet, his whole body feeling and needing to move itself in response to her. The Grand Priest glanced at the Zenos and noted they were, without a doubt, engrossed in the fight and beyond pleased.

Arcs of light, seemingly multiple ones, at the same time, swarmed Mojito from all directions and he appeared as though he was doing an odd dance, his body turning every which way it had to, to block Beranise and appeared to still have little difficulty doing so, but his smile, from before, was gone and his face showed some due seriousness. Yet, despite the tone-shift, he did not seem displeased or uncomfortable, in fact, he almost found their bout, as one-sided as it still was, to be refreshing. Caulifla, Kale, Cabba, Hit, Saonel, Pirina, Botamo, Magetta, Dr. Rota and Fuwa watched, along with the Seven, who were grouped up, further along the edge of the platform. Kayen looked over to Vados, who stood between their two groups, to see she was watching the fight more intently than ever before and briefly mused on how she never saw her so focused on any of their actions, as she probably did not have to take any of it seriously, until now. She turned back to the fight, as much as she could make out from it, without looking up at the screens. Mojito had to duck deep from kicks that swept above him and he descended, side-stepping a plunging punch, then, immediately blocked an elbow, as Beranise was right on him, from below. Pushing on with her elbowing, she kicked at him with a blast-enhanced lunge and he kicked back, pushing himself away, for only a brief moment, which he took to note the charred patch left on his robe, before he gripped his staff and he held it horizontally up, above his head, as Beranise used the momentum of her kick and the position of her leg to get higher and dropped down with an axe-kick. She feigned it, pulling her leg in to fall below his staff's guard and kicked with her other foot's sole, which he stopped with a knee, again, the attack failing to fool his autonomous reaction to it, but not to his staff, which Beranise grabbed with both hands, pulling on it and thrust her other foot forward, in his abdomen.

"Oh!" Whis exclaimed, as his eyes widened and Mojito's face showed surprise, but no pain and mild annoyance, as he pulled his staff free, floating back from her with a frown, amidst gasps from the spectators. Vados' fixated gaze deepened as her eyes briefly narrowed. Mojito dusted his robe, slowly lifting his eyes to look at Beranise, who was finally taking more than a second-long pause.

"Very impressive." he stated. "You are performing better than any of the Destroyers any of us had ever trained." Some of them, Giin, Liquir, Quitela and Beerus appeared to take more offense at that than the others.

"Hmph." Beranise frowned and flexed. With a grunt, she flared, much like Goku did, after Jiren targeted his friends, drawing out more power, though there was no aura around her and her appearance remained the same. Mojito raised a brow, unsure if she was merely doing theatrics or more. His answer came with a sweeping-kick he floated up to avoid that spun, upwards, into an elbow strike he blocked with a hand, followed by another kick he stopped with his staff he held to the side with both hands, all flowing into one combo. A mild frown on Mojito's face showed Beranise's attacks became faster and stronger, once again. He still had no concerns and no motivation to even attack, as he was not visibly struggling to keep up, though he was making more effort to keep it that way by admittedly using more power than he ever had to before, apart from when he was training with his sibling, of course. He noticed, however, that Beranise was not showing any signs of fatigue, either, despite her nonstop assault. She likely gotten so acclimated to the form that using it in battle, even at such intensity, took no toll on her body. And she was clearly pushing the form itself as far as she could.

"How long can she really keep this up?" Cabba wondered, over on their platform, as he, Hit and the rest were intensely watching.

"This fight…" Tien started. "It kind of feels like when you fought Jiren, Goku." Goku looked at him. "I mean, I can't sense a thing, but it _looks_ like it, anyway. Except this guy's not attacking back."

"If he did, it would be over, obviously." Beerus stated, arms folded, as he nervously tapped on his forearm with his fingers.

"I don't think so." Goku said and Beerus turned to him to see he had a small smile. "We couldn't even touch Jiren and I don't know about Vegeta, but whenever he _did_ hit back, it felt like he broke every bone in me. But, still…we could take it and he wasn't even going all out, yet, then." he pointed out, as they watched Beranise go on. "I'd say she's doing even better than _we_ did, compared to _that_. Even if this guy would hit back, she wouldn't just go down. Not at this level." He could see it.

"Still, she's gotta be peeved." Krillin folded his arms. "I mean, I hate to say it, but him not attacking makes it look like that guy could be holding hand-pads and letting her attack, like they were in a gym."

"Or in one of _our_ sessions." 18 commented, with a flat expression.

"Hey!" Krillin turned to her, feeling burned.

"I think he's past letting her take her anger out on him." Gohan said. "At this point, he just wants to see how far she can push herself. But, then…" he trailed off and fell silent.

"What?" Videl asked, but Gohan kept watching with an uncertain look, as if he was expecting to see something that was not happening. Beranise kept on the pressure and though Mojito appeared to be doing more than before and considerably more than what a trainer, in a gym, would have had to, he was not being challenged, but neither was Beranise giving the impression that she was even close to being at her limit. Where Goku and Vegeta looked beaten, weary and at their wit's and strength's end against Jiren, she did not look desperate or demoralized.

"Why isn't Mojito doing anything besides defending?" Roh asked, still sweating from nervousness.

"Fool! You would have him retaliate!?" Sidra hissed at him. "You know what that would mean for us!"

"Well, isn't that what _he_ would want?" Roh asked. "You heard what she said, My Lord. He wouldn't mind, at all, if we were erased, again. Just the opposite, apparently." he reminded him of Mojito's questionable loyalty and lack of dedication to them and their universe, but Sidra could only do what everyone else was doing. Wait. Over at the 3rd Universe's platform Mosco beeped a few deep robotic lines that sounded impatient, making Ea, their Supreme Kai nervous and his Attendant, Camparri replied.

"Now, Lord Mosco, no need for such words. I am certain Mojito has a reason as to why he is prolonging the fight." he told him. Members of Universe 11 were deeply focused on Beranise.

"As impressive as it is that she could come this far, she has to know it cannot possibly be enough." Khai said, as certain of the outcome as most were.

"What do you think, Jiren?" Velmod asked, looking at him, as did Khai, Toppo and the rest of their warriors, all curious to hear if he cared to give an input, but he remained silent and intensely absorbed by the fight, signifying it was well worth his full attention, which was an answer in itself, the others understood. At the 2nd Universe's platform, Pell and Sour glanced at Heles, whose seemingly worried eyes wavered, nonstop, as she watched Beranise's efforts with a timidity they were not used to seeing. The Gods of the exempt universes, Arak, Inwe, Liquir and Giin were already impressed enough by Goku's efforts during the tournament that they even rose from their seats, in acknowledgement of his skill, but Beranise's performance, coupled with Mojito's comment, would have kept them standing from the start, even if there were any seats. Any feelings of superiority have been swiftly curtailed.

"Why is she still going…?" Cabba could barely keep up. "She's not slowing down. Her attacks aren't getting weaker, either. But…she has to be at her limit." He looked over to the others and saw that Caulifla and even Kale were not following the fight with as much tenseness as everyone else. Like they were still expecting Beranise to do more. But why? And What? Cabba thought and turned back, just as a bright flash of light exploded from Mojito and Beranise's fists meeting, as the latter used a punch of his own to nullify the force of hers, followed by a repelling wave, from his palm that sent Beranise backwards and she landed a good distance from him, in one side of the ring, as Mojito touched down on the other, at the same distance from the center, smiling, almost contently. Or was it still pity.

"That would be enough." he stated, placing his free hand behind his back. "You have managed to go farther than any mortal ever had and for that I am certain our Grand Leaders commend you. As do I. But, surely you see there is nothing more you can do, here." he told her, but Beranise's expression remained the same, as if she did not even hear him. Vados had a satisfied, almost mocking smile, as she genuinely did not know what to expect, beforehand, after she was kept out of Beranise's further training, but she was, now, convinced it would not be anything more than what they have already witnessed. "I admit your conditions were surprising. To attempt to show such lenience, when your universe have been wronged. I suppose Lord Sidra and the rest will be grateful for you. Although, as per your condition, the rest will, now, also meet the same consequences as them, unfortunately." he said with the same faint smile, showing no sympathy, as he glanced at the terror on their face. Beranise still had not moved or even flinched.

"Is she really through?" Tien worriedly asked, knowing what would happen next.

"There's gotta be a way to make them change their minds." Goku looked up at the Zenos, not wanting for a whole universe to be erased, again, as they put their tablets down, seemingly getting ready to erase them.

"There is no appeal, this time, I'm afraid." Whis said. "It is unlikely, it seems, that Mojito would ask for one, either. Beranise had certainly demonstrated impressive power, but it is sadly all she could do." he stated and almost all eyes wavered between the 9th and Beranise, whose efforts were ultimate futile.

"No." Gohan spoke and they looked at him. "You're wrong." he said.

"What do you mean, Gohan?" Goku asked, as they all gave him a confused glare. Gohan took a few steps to stand at the very edge of the platform.

"Beranise!" he called to her, but she did not react, as everyone, from all the universes, turned towards him, wondering what he wanted from her and though Gohan got nothing but silence from her, he spoke. "You're holding back, aren't you!?" Vados' eyes, before anyone else's, widened in surprise, as they looked at him, then, at Beranise, including Mojito. "This isn't your full power, is it?" Gohan asked and waited, as their friends were still trying to process if it was even possible that she could have been holding back, at all.

"You're half right!" Beranise spoke and amidst all the furrowed brows, Gohan gave her an odd look.

"Half?" he raised a brow.

"This _is_ my full power." she said and eyes narrowed in confusion at that, as she widened her stance, raising her fists. "In _this_ form." Beranise flexed, as eyes turned wide, again and a brilliant pillar of almost liquid-like silver light exploded, high in the air, from her, casting its pulsating, flowing glow on the whole arena and on the shocked faces of everyone, who appeared as though they were staring at a shining ocean, with the waves reflecting off of them.

"What the-…" Gohan whispered, as a gust of air came that did not grew much in strength, as it swirled around them. The fount of mercury-like substance fell in on itself and slowly morphed into a humanoid shape, encasing Beranise in an opaque cocoon that swirled for a few more seconds before seemingly solidifying.

"She's finally pulling it out." Caulifla folded her arms and Cabba looked at her, in surprise, with Hit.

"You mean, you know about this?" Cabba asked.

"She did it a couple of training session ago." Caulifla noted and looked at Kale. "Our fusion was over a little sooner than usual and we saw her like this, so we remembered. But, she told us to keep quiet about it." The smooth chrysalis rapidly started evaporating, leaving rising vapor trails. "She had some weird name for it…uh, what was it…?" she could not recall. "Super Saiyan Mmmuh…" she trailed off.

"Mercury." Kale spoke. "It was mercury." she repeated and Cabba looked back at what was happening to Beranise, whose body was both burning the strange energy enveloping her away and absorbing it, at the same time. What was not burned away seemingly dried into her.

"Super Saiyan…Mercury?" Cabba whispered as Gohan and the others, too, stood in awe. The light started to fade and the heated air around Beranise cooled as her new visage became clear. Her hair was almost completely slicked back and silver, like solid mercury. And the eyes she opened were the same, the light shifting in them, as if her irises were glass orbs filled with the mercurial essence, nearly glowing from within. Nearly everyone's mouths were ajar, many were outright gaping and even the Angels looked utterly stupefied, having no idea what to make of the new form. Mojito, too, was uncertain of what to expect and as his eyes moved, time seemed to slow, as they widened, in shock, at the impossibility of the speed, with which Beranise was suddenly at his side, a fist already pulled back for a punch and the moment shook both Whis and Vados, along with all of their siblings and even their father had a slightly disturbed look in his eyes. Mojito did not even blink and Beranise was suddenly gone from his sight. His eyes did not find her behind him or above, where she had been, a moment ago, as he turned, even though his body told him where to move and look. He finally faced forward, again, from where Beranise was swinging at him and even though Mojito automatically raised his forearm, vertically up, in front of his face, as Beranise's fist hit, he gritted his teeth from something he had not felt in a long while, actual pain. He pulled back as much as he was knocked back by the attack, to his further surprise, as Beranise was on him, again. He threw his free palm forward, but before he could release a repelling wave, he blinked as Beranise pulsed with a silver light, seemingly coiling past his left arm, like fluid, not even to his unprotected side, but to his right, where he already pulled his staff in defense that was grabbed and shoved out of the way by Beranise's left hand, as her left knee was thrusting inwards, into the side of his face, hitting it hard. If any of the mortals and deities were still in possession of their mental faculties, they lost it all, in that moment. Almost in slow-motion, Mojito's widened eyes narrowed, as the shape of his face returned to normal and his scowl quickly turned into a snarl that disappeared in a flinch, when his body was already responding, limbs moving, to intercept the attacks that came at him.

His whole body ungracefully jerked around, almost grotesquely turning and twisting, obeying unconscious instinct that was, now, barely enough to fend off the being Beranise had become. In a blink of an eye, he barely drove one punch after another to the side, with his hand and staff, when the third caught him in the other side of his face, to his further offense. Anger flashed across his eyes as he finally retaliated, his fists and feet flying into a blur, met by Beranise's own. A feat he could not believe, even as he bared his teeth from all the close shaves he was getting.

"This…" Gohan started. "This is what it was like watching you and Jiren, when you were both at your strongest." he said and Goku did not need to look at him to know he was talking to him, as he watched with his mouth slightly open, same as the rest. "He can't believe it's happening." Gohan added, looking at Mojito.

"I think that makes all of us." Tien said. Gohan looked at Whis to see he was having difficulty believing it was really happening and so was Vados. Mojito and Beranise flashed around, close to the floor of the ring, then, ascended, appearing higher and higher, but from the looks of it, it was Beranise who was chasing and forcing him to move so erratically, as he could not do anything more, even as he was attacking back.

"Whis…" Gohan spoke. "How strong _is_ your brother compared to you and Vados?" he asked and Whis briefly tore his concentration from the fight to glance at him, but with a look of alarm that has not vanished, even as he turned his attention back to it, while he replied.

"Mojito is somewhat weaker than myself and my sister." he stated. "But, if she is able to fight on par with him like _this_, then…" Vados was already frowning at what he was going to say. "It will not take long, until she could challenge either of us."

"No!" Vados exclaimed and they all turned to see her with a deep frown, clearly annoyed and even angry at the situation. "That is impossible!" Her eye slightly twitched. "She could not…" she trailed off. Whis seemed the most surprised by his sister's outburst and Vegeta's mocking laughter suddenly broke the tense atmosphere.

"Well, well…" Vegeta said, arms folded. "It looks like all of you underestimated Saiyans, once again." he smirked at her and Vados threw him a rather nasty glare they have not seen from her or any Angel before.

"Hh. She was right." Caulifla spoke and Vados glanced at her. "You hate it that someone can be as strong as you Angels." she told her with a mocking smirk, hands on her hips. Vados gave her the same cold look, before she reined her emotions in, briefly closing her eyes to calm herself and turned back to the action. The Zenos were bursting with excitement, as expected.

"Wow! She really can beat one of them!

"Yes! She promised she could!

"And she kept her promise, too!"

"She really did!"

The Grand Priest briefly glanced at them, looking far less pleased with the situation than they were, as he turned back to it to see Mojito pulling back to avoid a wide side-kick, after which he lunged at Beranise, who was still partially with her back to him, with a forward thrust of his staff. She pulsed, again and even from such a heavily disadvantageous position, she bent, arcing her back and flowed around his attack, snaking from one side of his staff to the other and back, this time, to his undefended side, with an elbow into the free palm he brought up that was still pushed into his nose and made him shut his eyes as he staggered back. He stopped as he lifted his head to look at the blood in his palm and as he looked up, some was thinly trickling from his nose, reaching his growling mouth.

"Ho-ho-Oh, yeah!" Caulifla made a fist in front of herself. "First blood!" she exclaimed. "And against an Angel!" she tauntingly grinned at Vados, who squared her jaw as she glanced at her from the corner of her eyes, not giving her anything more than that.

"_This is impossible."_ Mojito thought to himself, his mouth twitching and anyone could easily hear what he was thinking from the expression on his face, because they were all thinking the same. Beranise pulled back both her fists, leaving trails of silver light that distorted space along their line as she zoomed to Mojito, who horizontally raised his staff, with both hands, in front of him, but Beranise's left foot stepped on it, pushing it down as she kneed him in the jaw with the other leg, making his head snap back, then, thrusting both her fists forward, she fired an instant Double Lance energy-wave that pushed Mojito down, towards the floor of the ring, as he had a hand raised, trying to block it with a protective barrier he was projecting. He landed hard on one knee, cracking the floor as he emerged from the blast, his robes scorched in places, as his body still could not react fast enough to block some of the damage. He did not have a moment to flinch as his still extended hand caught Beranise's fists coming at him, shoving him with his back on the floor, as she bought her other fist down on him. Mojito flipped backwards, letting go of her fist to dodge her other one, with which she punched a small hole in the ring his body could have fit right into.

"Can you tell if he's fighting at full power?" Gohan asked Whis, who took a moment to observe some more, before he replied.

"Considering how he seems to have lost his temper, I doubt it very much that he is not." Whis said.

"And she's still more than on-par with him, I'd say." Goku spoke.

"Yeah." Gohan agreed. "He can't hit her, but she keeps getting through his defense. He could've caused some serious damage, before. But, now…if she can go on like this, he won't even be able to do much."

"Even if he starts getting a few hits in, he's definitely not gonna stop her, now." Goku had a small smile, enjoying the thrill of just watching it all. And their confidence in the situation was almost immediately proven to be well-placed, when Mojito stabbed diagonally downward with his staff, hitting and tripping Beranise's leg, who tumbled on, as Mojito spun after her to chop the back of her neck, but Beranise, upside down from the momentum kicked his hand up and away from her, but she could not stop being hit in the ribs with the head of the staff and a brief flinch from pain was all she showed as she grabbed the staff's end with both hands, yanking on Mojito with it, who almost looked like he pole-vaulted over her as he flipped, with a hard tug, pulling his staff free from her grasp to face her. They clashed, again and Mojito spun his staff to block a flurry of punches, until one made it through and Beranise stopped the staff with the back of her left fist and she swung with her right. Mojito mustered all the speed he could and brought his staff back, with another spin, batting her fist away and with the lower part, blocked her from raising her left knee to kick with and hit her across the face with the end of his staff. Beranise used the force of the punch and spun with her right foot in a reverse-kick that Mojito dodged, dashing up. He firmly pointed his staff down at her and fired a rapidly expanding green orb that was already too close, but became ten-times larger in the fraction of second it took for it to reach Beranise. She was forced down and along the floor, dragging small, thin canals into it, with her feet as she was pushed along, before she threw the blast off of her, into the air and her hands were still raised towards it when Mojito swooped into her stomach with a foot, kicking her away, with a painful grunt from her.

Mojito pressed on, not wanting to give her an idle moment, but she would not have one, anyway, as Beranise was already making diagonal spinning kicks, firing thin, silver, crescent waves with her feet, as she was backing away and Mojito had to either dodge or cut through them with his staff to close in on her, at which point, Beranise launched upwards, rolling forward, into an energy-enhanced axe-kick and released a wave with it as she came down on him. Mojito raised his staff to block it, but the added force of the energy blast, blew him back down and almost desperately he threw his hand towards the ground to release a repelling wave he used to break his rapid fall and he quickly spun back up to ready himself for another attack his body could already feel was coming. He was immediately driven back by a combo of fists and feet even his instincts were just enough to keep him safe from. And even they proved inadequate on far more than a few occasions, already. This was another one of them as Beranise spread her hands, slapping his free hand and staffed one out, turned left to kick his raised, blocking right-knee away with her own and spun on, counter-clockwise, with the same motion and as he was still turned outwards, kicked him in his left-side, which he took with a snarl. His right foot was instantly sweeping upwards, towards the left-side of her face and she stopped it with the back of her left-fist, but he brought his staff back from the other side and its end across her other cheek, spinning the staff so she would not grab it, again, as he pulled it back, along with his leg, then, he threw his free palm forward, to blast her with both a repelling wave and an energy attack, at the same time. She vanished in it, appearing a second later, scorched and smoking, but still barely any worse for wear and her glare deepening some, which was the only indication for Mojito and the rest that she was even fazed, at all, by it.

"See…" Goku still had the same smile. "What'd I tell ya!"

"Her attacks are more effective on him than what _he_ can do." Gohan observed.

"Still…" Piccolo spoke. "Neither one can do anything more against the other, it seems. This could go on for a while." he stated.

"Well, those Grand Zenos won't be bored, anytime soon, that's for sure." Krillin said.

"And neither will anyone present." Supreme Kai noted. "This is truly unprecedented." he whispered.

"One would think we would both be used to such incredible feats by now, Master." Kibito commented.

"Indeed." Supreme Kai agreed. The 11th Universe, as well as the others were strangely silent.

"Words completely fail me." Khai stated, next to Velmod, who glanced at Marcarita at his side to see even a being such as her was, and could be, shaken.

"I've never seen you like this." he quietly told her. She blinked in surprise at his worried tone and her expression softened some as she looked at him, but she was too late in keeping her calm façade up and quickly turned back to the fight, unable and unwilling to even say she was fine. Velmod regarded her with some sadness, as he could tell she was disturbed. Her brows twitched and narrowed and he heard, before he even looked back, Beranise battering through Mojito's guarding staff with slower, but thundering punches, testing how long he would have the patience to take them on and he did not, for long. Mojito suddenly held his staff out and spun around, with a wide attack, releasing a tornado of repelling force that continued to swirl around as it briefly expanded, following and keeping Beranise away, for a few seconds, before she pulsed, started spinning in the opposite direction and with a deep burst of energy dispersed it, breaking free.

"Tch." Mojito clicked his tongue behind his bared teeth, as his defensive move was only half successful. He clenched his shaking fist and for the second time, attacked first, looking to overcome the offending nuisance he felt Beranise was. His body was moving on its own, even as his emotions were running unchecked and though it did not affect his mind to the point where it dulled his senses and instincts, he was still losing more scuffles than Beranise. They both kept blocking each other's attacks, several moves ahead, with one or the other occasionally getting through, connecting with a punch to the face, gut or side, same with kicks that twisted into subsequent ones. It all seemed more graceful on Beranise's part, but perhaps it was only due to the rather baggy attire all Angel Attendants wore and for Mojito it was already torn in multiple places, where pieces of the cloth were hanging and flapping lose as he moved, whereas Beranise's did not appear nearly as worn. Not even slowly, but rather rapidly, they began jousting, with the flashing shockwave from their clashes barely fading, before the next, as they ascended higher with every hit, looking like a pulsating star. In the blinding light of their contact, one would have seen Beranise being hit hard in the face, letting lose a spit of blood, before she dished it right back, with a series of attacks that quickly powered through Mojito's guard, not ending with the fist in his stomach that made him spat, as they carried on, without slowing down. The star that was them stopped rising and after flashing, once more, began zig-zagging downwards, almost into a spiral, in which most could only briefly see two white silhouettes, now and again. Mojito materialized as one of them, trailing smoke, as he was flying backwards, diagonally to the ground. He sneered at an explosion of energy that snuffed out the star's brilliance, from which Beranise shot forth from, like a comet, towards him and he held his staff up, in front of him, at the last moment, as she got slightly above him with a forward roll she turned into a wide axe-kick that trailed a silver band of light around with it, shining like a full moon. Mojito's staff snapped in two from Beranise's heel, the explosion from it obscuring them as it slammed into his face. All every eye saw was Mojito crashing down and tearing up the floor of the ring, before he managed to flip off from it, onto his legs and got on one knee, his hair hanging in his contorted face, as he looked disheveled, his ceremonial robe dirtied with dust, scorch marks and even his own blood. The two broken halves of his staff landed with a clank, near him and he looked at them, enraged, then, up at Beranise, grinding his teeth, clearly at his wit's and patience's end. She appeared to have taken quite a few blows, herself, before she could get to him the way she did, but it amounted to little, for Mojito, as the situation showed. He rose and looked like he was about to launch into an attack.

"That is enough!" the Grand Priest's voice rang out, surprising all, but most of all Mojito, who stared up at him.

"F-father?" he whispered and the Grand Priest fixed him with a stern look. "S-sir?" Mojito referred to him, this time, with less familiarity and he looked confused and hurt, as if his father had no faith that he could continue the fight.

"Heeey….!" The Zenos whined in unison.

"Why did you stop the fight?"

"Yes, why did you? They asked and the Grand Priest's expression quickly changed to a more jovial one as he addressed them.

"My apologies, Sires!" he spoke. "I was merely considering that if we would allow this fight to drag on, there would be no time for other, potentially just as exciting bouts, as I have already assured you there would be. This way, we could have a proper Exhibition with several spectacular matches, as you have hoped and not just this _one_." The Zenos looked at each other.

"He's right! I wanna see the others fight, too!" one said.

"Yes! Me too!" the other agreed.

"Maybe this one can stop." one told the other.

"Yes! It can stop, now." the other agreed.

"But…" one was confused. "Who won?" he turned to the Grand Priest.

"Yes! Who won, then?" the other asked, as it was not yet clear for anyone.

"Well, even though it is often customary…" he turned to look down. "I do not believe it is necessary for Mojito to yield, at this point." he said and Mojito's eyes widened as his father looked at Beranise. "Lord Beranise, can you accept your victory, such as it is?" he asked and Mojito knew, then, his father did not even allow him to yield, because he would have felt even more humiliated than he already was and he lowered his head in shame. "The 9th Universe shall be spared and Mojito shall resume his duties, there, honoring your conditions. You have more than proven your ability..." he turned to the Zenos. "Would you not agree, Sires?" he smiled.

"Yes! Way more!"

"Just like you promised!"

"You really beat one of them!"

"You really did!" They commended her and the Grand Priest expectantly looked at Beranise for her answer, knowing that she would have actually relished declining them and would have continued the fight, not only to quite possibly and completely beat Mojito, but to defy all of them.

"Fine." Beranise muttered, loud enough for them to hear.

"It is final, then, Ladies and Gentleman, the victor is Lord Beranise!" The Grand Priest declared as Mojito quietly knelt, head lowered, his hair hiding his face and snarl. Some of the Seven cheered, along with Cabba and Fuwa, as did some from the 7th, like Goku, Pan, Videl and Krillin.

"That crazy bitch did it!" Caulifla exclaimed and some, like Cabba, Kale and the Seven, were taken aback by her language. Even Beranise raised a brow as she slowly looked up at her, which actually made Caulifla a little nervous. "Uh…" She trailed off, thinking she might blast her or something, but was surprised, along with everyone, when she smirked.

"You're getting a few extra sessions for that, _Flower_!" Beranise told her.

"Ah, damn it…" Caulifla muttered and the rest were beyond shocked and impressed to see Beranise was acting so candidly, while she was still in her new state. Vados realized, then, that what she thought would happen, but no so soon and not to such extent, had come to pass, after all.

"_She __**has**__ made it her own."_ she thought as she gazed down at Beranise, who looked over to her just then and caught her searching eyes that had a fair bit of vexation in them, behind which Vados could not hide her acknowledgement of her power.

"Your attention, please, everyone!" The Grand Priest spoke. "Our Grand Leaders will need a short time to replenish themselves and we also have to improvise a system by which we determine match-ups." he announced. "So, now, we shall take a brief intermission! Until then, anyone currently in the ring should vacate it and we shall prepare it for the coming matches, starting with repairs, if one or more Attendants could, please, see to it!" he requested and turned on his platform to talk with the Zenos. Mojito stood, lifting his gaze as two of his siblings, Awamo and Martinu landed on either side of him, both giving him a sympathetic look, before they turned to start restoring the damaged parts of the ring with their staffs, as Korn landed near the two pieces of his staff and used the telekinetic powers of his own to lift and place them next to each other, giving him a disappointed glance, before he flew off with the pieces, up to their father. He looked to see Beranise was landing back on the 6th Universe's platform, where Goku, Gohan, Videl and Pan moved to join her. She reverted to her perfected imperfect Ultra Instinct state as she exhaled.

"Bewaaa!" Pan excitedly latched onto her.

"That was amazing, Beranise!" Goku congratulated.

"It was really unbelievable!" Gohan added.

"I couldn't really see much, even with those screens…" Videl said. "I think Pan could see more than me!" she smilingly noted and Pan giggled with a few nods.

"You knew you would be fighting him, right from the start, then." Gohan understood. "At first I wasn't sure if you were prepared, but, then, as you continued, I figured you wouldn't have challenged him, if you didn't think you had a chance. You really surprised everyone. Even the Angels couldn't believe it." he glanced at Vados, who averted her eyes from all of them.

"So…Super Saiyan Mercury, huh?" Goku smirked. "I can't wait to get better with my Ultra Instinct and have a go at _that_!" he raised a fist and then remembered all the new faces who crowded around them. "Oh, yeah, that reminds me!" he turned to them. "You girls are all Saiyans, right? You must be tough if _she's_ training you!"

"With the way this event is going we might even get to see, if you let 'em fight, that is." Gohan told Beranise and she looked from him to them to see they eagerly nodded, as expected.

"The 11th must be anxious to fight, even after an opening like this." Cabba told Goku and looked behind him, at Vegeta, who turned his attention to the aforementioned universe's warriors.

"They all are." Gohan stated and they turned towards all of the platforms to see new fire in everyone's eyes that has been fueled by the match, even though many were still shaking, but not from fear.

"Then this is just starting!" Goku exclaimed as Awamo and Martinu finished repairing the ring.

_For the first time, in history, an Angel lost to a mortal. Beranise had ascended to a new level and kept her promise to the Grand Zenos, by defeating the Angel Mojito and proved the might of the Saiyan race, once again. With the historic battle, the Second Grand Exhibition Match had its fitting opening. And now, the stage was set for the rest of the multiverse's warriors to show what they were made of, in a competition that already outdid even the Tournament of Power. But, who will end up fighting who? Will it be what everyone hopes and expects? What exciting twists will continue the story of the universes and their strongest fighters? Only time will tell. _

**THE END**

**Author's note: **As usual, artwork for my multiple OCs can be found on my Deviant Art page with the same username.


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